Or younger and were not around for that election. Hamas never stood for another one.

If a 20 yr old who’s never known anything but the squalor of Gaza (which Hamas helped remain in squalor) responds “I support Hamas!”, what does that really mean. They support the only leadership they’ve ever known?

“Eliminating Hamas” has never been realistic. How to you eliminate an extremist movement with membership spread through Gaza, the WB, and the diaspora? How are current conditions in Gaza doing anything but radicalizing 10s of 1000s of very young Gazans, who will probably remain radicalized for the rest of their lives? Who cares if they call themselves Hamas or whatever Hamas’ successor will be?

Israel's always been kind of isolated on the world stage, but how will its strategic goals be impacted by the near complete and growing isolation on the world stage now? I think Israel lost the moment it failed on Oct 7. I just don’t see a winning strategy. It can’t destroy Hamas. It can’t simply ethnically cleanse the entire WB and Gaza. So, how, realistically, can they emerge from this with threats of brutality from Palestinians diminished, much less eliminated?

I don’t see it. I think divisions in Israel are beginning to explode out into the open again, which, combined with global pressure about the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza (and whoever they claim to support, a tiny % are actually responsible for the barbarity Israel’s retaliating against), is going to force Israel’s hand at some point. Hamas will not be destroyed. It, or the radicalism it represents under some new brand, will be strengthened. And Israel is going to be weakened. It already is.

Israel went into Lebanon over 40 yrs ago to destroy the PLO. It only succeeded in creating Hezbollah.


[Post edited by hoolstoptheheels at 01/17/2024 10:26AM]