Some would argue that goal is now even further out of reach. But there is relative calm at present. However, with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas’ health failing, Israel fears there could soon be a power vacuum that would quickly be filled by the likes of Hamas, or worse.

With an eye to future stability, if not peace, Israel has once again engaged with exiled former Palestinian Authority security chief Mohammed Dahlan.

A complex and ambitious plan being backed by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, the US and Israel would see Dahlan first return to power in Gaza as a “dress rehearsal” for eventually taking over the entire Palestinian Authority.

This “plan of the century,” as Israeli officials are calling it, was already put in motion back in June, when Egypt summoned Gaza’s Hamas rulers to Cairo where they were surprised to find Dahlan waiting for them.

Yediot Ahronot reported that Dahlan presented a plan whereby men loyal to him would man Gaza’s borders, thereby ending the Egyptian and Israeli blockade of the Hamas-ruled enclave. Furthermore, “Dahlan explained to...