My last column was about the Israel/Hamas war. It suggested that the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas was winning. Now I’m posing a related question: When the current war in Gaza ends is an overall resolution to the Israel/Palestine conflict possible? My answer is yes but it won’t be easy to achieve.

■Hamas and Israel will agree to a cease-fire in the near future. Pressure on Hamas by Qatar and other interested Arab states, coupled with pressure on Israel by the United States will make this possible.The first priority must be providing humanitarian assistance to the two million Palestinian civilians in urgent need of food, shelter and medical care. The cease-fire terms will be that Hamas frees all hostages it holds and completely stops launching rockets against Israel. For its part, Israel will end all military actions in Gaza and commit to withdrawing its military in the foreseeable future. A UN Security Council resolution calling for this cease-fire might be helpful but not absolutely necessary

■Hamas can declare victory based on the enormous damage it has done to Israel. It will free all hostages in the name of relieving the unfolding human catastrophe afflicting the Palestinians in Gaza. Israel will use the rationale that the U.S., Israel’s most important friend, is compelling it to accept the cease-fire. To save face, Israel can declare victory based on having killed thousands of Hamas soldiers and freeing all of the hostages.

■With the fighting stopped the Netanyahu government collapses. Public opinion surveys in Israel indicate this is very likely. Less likely but still possible is that a pro-peace government comes to power in its place.

■A new Palestinian Authority devoid of corruption and blatant antisemitism will be established with international assistance. It would probably be necessary to include all Palestinian factions promising to avoid violence .

■A realistic plan will need to be established and implemented for the rebuilding of Gaza. Financing could come from the Gulf Arab States, the European Union humanitarian NGO’s and perhaps the U.S. The new Palestinian Authority would administer the reconstruction of Gaza provided it prevents significant resources being funneled to Hamas and other terrorist organizations.

■Both Israel and the new Palestinian Authority will have to commit to bring about the actualization of a two state solution ( State of Israel living next door to a non-militarized State of Palestine) within a limited time frame, perhaps 2-3 years. With that commitment in place negotiations on an overall Israel/ Palestine can commence.

■There would have to be border adjustments on both sides and a Palestinian capital in East Jerusalem. Land swaps would leave some Jewish settlements within Israel. The Palestinian state would have about the same amount of land measured in square kilometers as the West Bank and Gaza had prior to the 1967 war.

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■A highway or railroad will link Gaza with the West Bank.

■Palestinian refugees and their descendants from the 1948 war, now numbering in the millions, may move to the Palestinian state, but not Israel, if they wish.

■The Israeli settlers in the Palestinian state would have a choice: leave with financial assistance from the Israeli government or stay put while living under the legal authority of the State of Palestine.

■All Arab League countries will have to publicly declare that the conflict with Israel is now over.

■Both Israelis and Palestinians trust that a secure, lasting peace is possible. The well-founded fear that peace with the other side is not possible is a major barrier to a peace agreement.

■Palestinians believe that the new Palestinian Authority will bring about the end of the occupation, the release of many prisoners in Israeli jails and the establishment of a Palestinian state soon.

■Israeli is confident that it will have continued support, military and diplomatic, from the U.S. Hopefully the European Union will be diplomatically supportive as well. Israel will need to be certain that the Palestinian state won’t be a launching pad for attacks against it.

■The governments of Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Arab states use their geographic, cultural and financial capability to help maintain the peace.

■Extremists on both sides are thoroughly suppressed by their respective governments. Otherwise the extremists will commit ruthless acts of violence against the other side and against supporters of peace in their own country.

My conclusion: A cease-fire is possible if Hamas and Israel are forced by external pressure to accept it. Subsequently, peace between Israelis and Palestinians is possible if both peoples have the will to achieve it.

Richard Fein holds a master of arts degree in political science and an MBA in economics. He can be reached at columnist@gazettenet.com.