I like to go for the smart side, which is a real problem in this conflict. It seems to be a long standing series of bad moves by both sides. The only reason Israel still exists is because they are outnumbered, which arithmetically increased the number of bad moves the other side could make. If there had ever been a true unified and cooperative effort by the Arab countries, Israel would have been fold up long ago.
It is a strange paradox, but the kind of skill and talent which propels a man to become head of state of an Arab Middle Eastern country is not the same set required to be an international leader. Jordan, Syria, and Egypt could have pushed Israel into the Mediterranean Sea anytime between 1960 and 1980, but never managed proper coordination of forces. This allowed Israel to face the different forces separately and with each armed conflict, come out in an advantageous position.
In this conflict, there is no smart side, just a dumb and slightly dumber side. Israel is a liberal democracy(for lack of a better term), which means it cannot support a long term military action unless two conditions are met. First, there must be some tangible results, second, losses must be minimal. On the one hand, the people demand the government keep them safe, on the other hand, it demands the cost not be too great. The worst thing Israel could do is give the Palestinian people a sense of hopelessness, which drives them to support extremists.
Hamas does not have these constraints. Any serious political opposition to their strategy will quickly become a casualty. This allows them to operate at the extreme end of the spectrum and appear to have the people's support. This allows them to do dumber things, without cost restraints the Israeli government feels.
It is a strange paradox, but the kind of skill and talent which propels a man to become head of state of an Arab Middle Eastern country is not the same set required to be an international leader. Jordan, Syria, and Egypt could have pushed Israel into the Mediterranean Sea anytime between 1960 and 1980, but never managed proper coordination of forces. This allowed Israel to face the different forces separately and with each armed conflict, come out in an advantageous position.
In this conflict, there is no smart side, just a dumb and slightly dumber side. Israel is a liberal democracy(for lack of a better term), which means it cannot support a long term military action unless two conditions are met. First, there must be some tangible results, second, losses must be minimal. On the one hand, the people demand the government keep them safe, on the other hand, it demands the cost not be too great. The worst thing Israel could do is give the Palestinian people a sense of hopelessness, which drives them to support extremists.
Hamas does not have these constraints. Any serious political opposition to their strategy will quickly become a casualty. This allows them to operate at the extreme end of the spectrum and appear to have the people's support. This allows them to do dumber things, without cost restraints the Israeli government feels.
