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I have made it a point up until now to avoid mention of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in my posts. I have my reasons. To begin with, I find that there is little new to be said on the sad story of the holy land, and what has been said is essentially unhelpful, as the rhetoric places you firmly in either camp, without the ability to enter into a dialogue. After all, what the Israelis are currently doing with Hamas is actually communication. It’s just that the dialogue has become so degraded and violent between the two groups, that all communication is done with rockets, suicide bombings, and “precision guided weaponry.” Messages are now sent via rubble and dismembered corpses to repeat the awful narrative of hatred which never ends.
For the Israelis, the current strike into Gaza is just another one of many suppression raids into the “occupied territories” in order to keep the Palestinian population they acquired in 1967 under control. The use of blunt, military force to do so is a legacy of Israel’s own birth and history. From the declaration of the State of Israel in 1948, the IDF has not only been the tool of choice in a crisis, it has often been the only tool to use. And it has been used to impressive effect, handily defeating much larger armed opponents in 1948, 1967, and 1972. However, just as the US military learned to its bitter regret in Vietnam, and has relearned in both Iraq and Afghanistan, what works against conventional militaries, is less than effective against occupied populations and unconventional enemies.
Hence, the current tragedy in Gaza has essentially followed the trajectory established by its predecessors. Palestinian militants stage attacks against Jewish settlements (in this case via rocket attack) in the hopes of provoking an overwhelmingly harsh Israeli response. When it inevitably comes, they can count on massive casualties, as no military strikes, surgical or otherwise, can help but cause civilian casualties in an area as densely populated as Gaza. Such atrocities are then exploited by Hamas, who show the international community the horror of urban warfare in all its gory glory. Such shocking images then spur the international community to pressure Israel to halt its campaign, which ends inconclusively, and allows Hamas (or Hezbollah in the case of the recent debacle in Lebanon) to declare victory over the forces of Israeli aggression, and thus inspire another generation of martyrs for the cause.
Lest I be considered too much of a sympathizer with the cause of Israeli militancy, let me note that the alternative to international intervention has little to recommend itself with. Should no group, either external or internal seek to stand up and halt the carnage, there is still no way for the IDF to gain the absolute victory over Hamas that it currently seeks. In order to defeat Hamas militarily, it would be necessary not only to totally occupy Gaza, but eliminate all current Hamas members (a virtual impossibility) while at the same time effectively discouraging Palestinians in Gaza who currently do not affiliate themselves with Hamas not to do so in the future. The only truly effective way to do this would be to expel the entire Palestinian population of the Gaza Strip from that territory, an alternative, which while possible, would be a humanitarian and diplomatic nightmare, for which the Israelis would receive massive, and well-deserved international condemnation. Hence, as long as the Israelis continue to see overwhelming military force as the proper tool for counter-insurgency efforts, things will continue to play out in much the same manner as they have in the past, a bitter, brutal stalemate.
On the other hand, while Hamas’ strategies appear effective at first glance, they are only effective at perpetuating the status quo. The elimination of the State of Israel is an impossible task for a force continually besieged in Gaza, whose attacks to more to wound Israeli pride and sense of well-being than actually strike at the heart of the Jewish State. Unlike Hezbollah, which can count on strong influence as part of the Lebanese government, Hamas cannot currently count on a state organization in which it can both seek refuge and claim legitimacy, as such it remains vulnerable as an outlaw in the international system. What this strategy does to for Hamas is perpetually strengthen its hold over the people of Gaza as a reliable pool for recruits in an endless war against the Israelis. As each Israeli reprisal causes more innocent casualties, it deepens the hatred felt by the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip for the Israelis. At the same time, the armed resistance offered by Hamas, coupled with their extremely astute use of charity organizations, makes them the one institution to which Gaza Palestinians can look to for aid and assistance in the midst of their ruin. Hence, by provoking Israeli attacks Hamas does almost nothing to bring about its stated political goals, but continues to strengthen its hold over the people in whose name it claims to act.
In the end, the bombs will fall, and the wounded cry while the widowed mourn, but the sad dirge of destruction’s symphony remains the same. The outcome of this conflict, much like the ones that preceded it will not be anything close to decisive, and will only lead both the Israeli and Palestinian people further from any hope of a peaceful future.
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