There are a multitude of positions and reasonings on the recent Israeli attacks on military and military support structures in the Gaza Strip. The attacks, in short, are the result of internal Israeli and Palestinian governmental conflicts as well as the long-shared enmity and claims of the two peoples. Ultimately, though, it should be understood that Hamas has ignored a long-running ceasefire, taking potshots with missiles targeting Israeli civilians over the last several months, and the Israeli’s have decided to end that.
Israel has recently launched extensive and effective airstrikes on the Palestinian territory of the Gaza Strip. These airstrikes are directed at Hama targets in what is claimed to be retaliation for Hamas’ launching of rockets and mortars into civilian areas on the Israeli side of the border, despite a cease-fire agreement between the governments of Palestine and Israel. All of this had roots in recent Palestinian elections that brought Hamas into power. Over the past summer, these elections brought defeat to the old party of the Palestinian Authority, with which most Americans associate Yasser Arafat, the late leader of the original PLO terrorist organization. While the PLO evolved itself into the political entity that became the foundation for the Palestinian National Authority, Hamas, like Hezbollah, has shown little political inclination towards Israel and has preferred a policy of violent confrontation over diplomatic conversation.
Hamas is listed by the US State Department as a terrorist organization, and, like Hezbollah, has formed political structures in order to advance their agenda through political means where possible. Hamas came to power in the Palestinian National Authority in a campaign to eliminate widespread corruption and incompetence of the then ruling Fatah party which had internally crippled the Palestinian government. Hezbollah concentrates on Lebanese issues, but is a known and regular supporter of anti-Israeli Palestinian efforts including those by Hamas. Like Hezbollah, Hamas has stated one overriding goal; the destruction of Israel through jihad. While Hezbollah is an essentially Shi’a organization, Hamas is Sunni; but they share many objectives, most of them Socialist, bordering on communist, and always anti-Israel. Both parties have retained high regard among the Palestinian people for their conservative, fundamentalist political and moral platforms, and they have succeeded in generally avoiding the pitfalls of corruption in their governmental incursions in Lebanon, Jordan, and Palestine. These parties are seen as protectors of the interests of “true” Palestinians and resisters of corrupt Western and Israeli influence.
Hamas has used its ascension to Palestinian governance as a cover and conduit for advancing its jihadist agenda, consistently provoking the Israeli’s into confrontation. Most frequently, they use mortars and rockets to strike fear over the border in the Israeli population. The latest counterstrikes by Israel and the apparent Israeli intention to send in ground troops seem to be part of the Hamas plan. It seems that Hamas thinks that it can win against an Israeli ground offensive, because such a move would enrage the Palestinian people into a general revolt against Israel and lead, perhaps, to a successful insurgency. It would also appear that Hamas has this part of its strategy wrong; the Palestinian people are almost certainly too weary of war and conflict to en masse take a significant role in the current Israeli-Hamas hostilities. Hamas also believes that they can win a ground war in Gaza against Israeli infantry and armor. Two things tell Hamas this: The mud and urban landscape of Gaza disfavor tanks and infantry formations, and Hamas has, as they have in the past, the civilian population of Gaza to use as shields. With a terrain-slowed offensive and mounting civilian casualties, Israel will be pressured to end the operations quickly.
The Israeli offensive has shown great restraint towards and concern for civilian casualties among the Gazan population and is mindful of the need to minimize collateral damage, Hamas, on the other hand has targeted Israeli civilian populations exclusively, virtually ignoring viable and legal military targets. Israel has already disavowed any intention of using the conflict with Hamas as a rationale for re-occupying the Gaza Strip, and seems intent only on breaking Hamas control over the Palestinian National Authority. Much of the recent violence has been fomented by Hamas in its internal struggle with Fatah for control of the Palestinian government.
Also telling is the generally muted reaction of the Arab/Muslim world. The only country showing real support for Hamas at this time is Iran. Yesterday Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki issued a statement condemning the attacks for the toll on civilians. Egypt has, in fact, closed its Gaza border and fired upon Palestinians and Hamas members attempting to flee the Israeli onslaught. It appears that Hamas has, through its programme of violence isolated itself from the international community and the Arab world.
George Bush has not even bothered to shorten or interrupt his vacation, so, it would seem that the American government knew that this was going to happen. Whether the President knew from direct communications or had known because this Israeli incursion was forecasted by the intelligence community and State Department is unclear.
All of this indicates that the Israeli’s, much as they experienced initially during the Second Lebanon War with Hezbollah, has been granted at least tacit consent from the world at large to eliminate the terrorists of Hamas in favor of those who would prefer negotiation over confrontation. However, the pressure is beginning to initiate a new cease-fire and to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza. The Israeli’s must act fast, be decisive and, as always, be very selective with their targets. The tension here is to reduce the threat posed by Hamas while minimizing civilian casualties, and as chaos reigns in Gaza, it becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish friend from foe from innocent.
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