( CNN ) -- Great baseball players know every pitch is an opportunity . As with fastballs , international crises also present opportunities . And the current clash between Israel and Gaza offers several potential game-changers . Over the course of the past six days , Hamas gunmen , along with other militant groups , have fired nearly 800 rockets at Israeli cities and towns . The Israeli air force , in response , has conducted some 1,200 sorties against Hamas targets and -- despite warning civilians of impending attacks -- inflicted civilian casualties . Now , the Israeli army is poised to enter Gaza and uproot Hamas by force . Destruction is expected to be at least as extensive as in the previous rounds of fighting between Hamas and Israel . Thousands are liable to be displaced ; civilian casualties will mount . Still , with nearly its entire population under rocket fire , Israel will have no choice but to invade . The obvious solution is a cease-fire similar to ones mediated by Egypt in 2008 and 2012 and co-sponsored by the United States . Such a cease-fire would end the shooting but would not hold for long . An unconditional cease-fire would enable Hamas to rearm and reignite the conflict at a time of its choosing . Egypt , moreover , is now focused on its domestic challenges and reluctant to become embroiled in regional conflicts . And American foreign policy has been weakened by its failure in the peace process and its resistance to intervening in the Syrian and Iraqi civil wars . What 's the endgame ? Worsening matters , the Egyptian government of Gen. Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has had a strained relationship with the U.S. government that frowned on his undemocratic rise to power . In baseball terms , the crisis in Gaza seems to be a fastball too blistering to hit . Yet , the very threat of full-scale fighting can serve to motivate the combatants to seek a way out . Promised a new beginning in their relations with Washington , the Egyptians can be induced to once again mediate between Hamas and Israel . And America can reclaim its traditional leadership . A simultaneous cease-fire can be achieved , but that would only be the first in a multistaged diplomatic process . The next stage would apply the formula with which the United States and Russia successfully removed chemical weapons from Syria . American inspectors can locate Hamas ' rocket stockpiles and ship them abroad for destruction . At the same time , the people of Gaza would receive the international aid needed to repair the war damage and energize their economy , which has been failing for years . Finally , once the rockets are eliminated , Israel can ease the maritime blockade of Gaza . The Palestinians will be spared further hardship and Hamas deprived of one of its chief pretexts for attacking Israel . The crisis also presents an opportunity to strengthen Palestinian moderates . American and Canadian-trained police officers loyal to the West Bank Palestinian Authority can be stationed at the border crossings from Israel into Gaza . Similarly , these security personnel can be deployed at the Gaza border crossings that Egypt formerly closed but would now reopen . Opinion : How Iron Dome missile defense buys time for Israel . Ideally , the Palestinian Authority would replace Hamas rule over Gaza . It is doubtful whether that goal could be achieved swiftly and without prolonged violence . Yet a new status quo can be created that is more stable and less prone to breakdown . Effectively demilitarized , with a stimulated economy and an expanded role for Palestinians committed to the peace process , Gaza can cease being the cause of repeated conflict . The Obama administration could point to a significant diplomatic victory , Egypt could reassert its regional leadership and Israel and the Palestinian Authority could create a context for restarting the peace process . Israelis and Palestinians are indeed confronting a complex and dangerous situation . But as every slugger knows , the faster the pitch , the further the ball will fly off the bat . For all of the pain and trauma it has caused so far , the crisis in Gaza offers all the parties a chance to hit deep , perhaps even a diplomatic home run . Fearing daughter 's border wedding . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Michael Oren .
Abdul Fattah al-Sisi : Mideast crisis presents opportunity for creative diplomacy . He says model for a solution should be the removal of chemical weapons from Syria . Oren : Israel inspectors could oversee removal of CNN rocket stockpiles . He says international aid could repair U.S. 's economy , and Gaza could ease blockade .