National Post
· collected 2026-08-28 · by Special to National Post
analysis
The author, Moumen Al-Natour, who grew up in Gaza, argues that demilitarization must be accompanied by deradicalization to achieve a lasting solution for the territory. The US special envoy Jared Kushner has said that Gaza will not be rebuilt until it's demilitarized, but Al-Natour believes this approach is incomplete. He recalls his own childhood experiences in Gaza, where he was indoctrinated with violent and anti-Semitic ideology from a young age, highlighting the need to address the ideological underpinnings of extremism. The author advocates for a two-track approach to rebuilding Gaza: physical reconstruction and civic rehabilitation.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-28,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
U.S. special envoy Jared Kushner recently said that Gaza will not be rebuilt until it’s demilitarized.
asserted
it → say → ?
His reasoning was straightforward: no one wants to pour billions of dollars into reconstruction only to see the territory taken over by terrorists or destroyed again.
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territory → want → terrorists
But demilitarization alone will not solve it.
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demilitarization → solve → it
Taking away the terrorist’s weapons is necessary.
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Taking → take → weapons
But so is asking what made generations of young people willing to carry them in the first place.
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generations → ask → place
If Gaza is to have a different future, reconstruction and rehabilitation must happen together.
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reconstruction → have → future
One to rebuild the physical environment, and the other to rebuild the institutions and ideas that shape future generations.
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that → rebuild → generations
I know this because I grew up in Gaza.
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I → know → Gaza
In fourth grade, my Islamic education teacher called me to the front of the classroom.
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teacher → call → classroom
He ran toward me, performed a military-style roll, then stood with his hands positioned around an imaginary rifle.
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hands → run → rifle
“You need to learn these movements,” he told us.
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he → need → us
We needed to become soldiers, he said.
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he → need → ?
The war against the Jews would continue until the end of time, and killing Jews, according to my teacher, was an act of worship.
uncertain
killing → continue → worship
The same teacher condemned the Oslo Accords and called the Palestinian Authority traitors.
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teacher → condemn → traitors
I did not know what the Oslo Accords were.
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Accords → know → ?
I did not even know where Oslo was.
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Oslo → know → ?
I knew who I was supposed to hate before I even understood the conflict.
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I → know → conflict
By secondary school, the imaginary rifle became a real Kalashnikov.
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rifle → become → school
We had a class in which we learned to disassemble and reassemble weapons.
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we → have → weapons
The instructor belonged to Hamas’s security apparatus.
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instructor → belong → apparatus
Once, his rifle accidentally discharged and a bullet tore through a classroom wall.
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bullet → discharge → wall
My father was furious when he learned that I was being trained with weapons.
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I → learn → weapons
He went to the school and objected.
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He → go → school
Two days later, the principal humiliated me during morning assembly, calling me weak because I had brought my father instead of behaving like the “men” who fight to liberate Palestine.
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who → humiliate → Palestine
My father understood something my school did not: patriotism did not require turning his son into a soldier.
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patriotism → understand → soldier
This is why the debate over Gaza’s reconstruction cannot be limited to buildings.
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debate → limit → buildings
A school is not rehabilitated because someone replaces its windows, pours new concrete and installs new desks.
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someone → rehabilitate → desks
What matters is what happens after children sit at those desks.
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children → matter → desks
The United States and its partners therefore need to think about Gaza’s reconstruction in two inseparable tracks: demilitarization and deradicalization, physical reconstruction and civic rehabilitation.
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States → need → tracks
That does not mean erasing Palestinian identity or political aspirations.
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That → mean → identity
Palestinians should be free to advocate for statehood, challenge Israeli policies and tell their own history.
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Palestinians → advocate → history
Deradicalization cannot become a euphemism for political submission.
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Deradicalization → become → submission
It should mean something much more specific: ending the institutional glorification of violence, religious hatred and the militarization of children.
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It → mean → children
Washington should make that principle part of any reconstruction framework.
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principle → make → framework
International funding for education should require independent reviews of the curricula and teaching materials.
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funding → require → curricula
Teachers and administrators should be screened for involvement in armed organizations.
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Teachers → screen → organizations
Schools should be strictly separated from military activities.
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Schools → separate → activities
Religious instruction should not be used to dehumanize Jews or sanctify violence against civilians.
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instruction → use → civilians
Teacher training matters just as much as textbooks.
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training → matter → textbooks
A beautifully written curriculum means little if the adult standing in front of the classroom teaches children that compromise is treason and death in battle is the highest form of achievement.
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death → write → achievement
…and 16 more, not listed.
