From a military perspective, Hamas is getting clobbered in its fight against Israel. Thousands of Hamas operatives and supporters, as well as innocent civilians, have been killed or wounded. Hamas buildings and homes have been destroyed. Hamas leaders have run away to other countries or are hiding in basements. Hamas must know that the longer they fire rockets into Israel the more suffering they will cause to their own people, since they leave Israel no alternative but to defend its own citizens. They know that this is a military battle that they cannot win. So why do they not stop firing?
Hamas' objective is not to win militarily, but to defeat Israel in the public relations war. Their desire is to turn Israel into a pariah nation - to turn world opinion against it. To a large degree, Hamas has been successful in this propaganda battle. Countries friendly to Israel before the Gaza operation have turned against it. International organizations have waded in with their condemnations. The streets are full of Israel protesters and haters, constituting a mix of leftists, anti-Americans, anti-Westerners, anti-Zionists, anti-Semites, unions, well meaning peaceniks, the uninformed, the naive. Though ostensibly wanting the fighting to stop and an end to the death and destruction, ironically these protesting countries, international organizations, and individuals have become a cheering section for Hamas, indirectly encouraging them to continue to fire their rockets. Hamas knows that the longer it fires its rockets, and the more death and destruction comes to its own people as a result, the greater will be its success in the propaganda war. To Hamas a success in its desire to demonize and isolate Israel is worth the price of the destruction of its own people. So they continue to fire.
If countries and individuals truly want the chaos in Gaza to end, they would better accomplish this goal by depriving Hamas of its political/public relations victory. This means condemning Hamas for continuing to fire rockets into Israel and for defiantly refusing to stop. Some Arab countries and Palestinian leaders, like Abbas, have realized this simple point. They know that their people will be protected by depriving Hamas of the public relations success it seeks to achieve at the expense of the destruction of Gazan society. When Hamas realizes it has lost both militarily and politically, it will stop firing its rockets. It will likely not do so until then.
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Well noted. It's akin to the lure of front page media coverage for would-be mass murderers.
ReplyDeleteAnother politically correct response that has emerged of late is that Israel's reaction to Hamas' attacks has been "disproportional" or "like bringing a gun to a knife fight".
What I found irrational about this argument is that it seems to support the idea that we should want wars to drag on and on in an endless stale-mate, rather than end quickly. What these pundits are saying is that even if Israel has the military superiority to crush its enemy, it should instead limit itself to the same strategy of firing deadly, if inaccurate, missiles. 'Let's aim for a tie' is, in my opinion, even more foolish than demanding that only one-side (and, noticeably, not the other) cease firing.
All true. But there are other reasons Hamas won't stop. Like this.
ReplyDeleteI don’t necessarily disagree with your argument, but think that one must also ask how and why Hamas gained such widespread support in the first place.
ReplyDeleteHere's the thing- most people naturally root for the underdog. And in a world where politics are governed by optics, the endless suffering of the Palestinian people has solidified their underdog status. This, despite the fact that Israel is despised by its neighbours, some of whom are sworn to its demise.
However, after the Israeli disengagement from Gaza in 2005, there was a window of opportunity where Israel could have transformed itself from the tyrannical oppressor into a helpful ally. Had Israel (and its international allies) taken the necessary steps to strengthen Abbas and the Fatah party, perhaps Hamas would not have won the support of the Palestinians of Gaza. Had Israel and its allies made it their business to ensure the social and economic stability of the Palestinians of Gaza, perhaps the blockades of food and medical supplies might not have been a tragic military necessity.
To this, you might reply, “Why should Israel be responsible for the safety and security of the Palestinians?” Well, when Hamas becomes the primary provider of important resources like basic health care and education, it is no surprise that it wins the support of the people. If you are correct and Hamas’s primary objective is to demonize the State of Israel, then it just makes sense that the well-being of the Palestinians should be a strategic necessity for Israel.
And in a world where optics count, it wouldn’t hurt to look like the good guys for once.
Thanks for the comments. To read more of the Unmasked Anthropologist chek out her own blog at
ReplyDeletehttp://theunmaskedanthropologist.blogspot.com/.
To Anonymous who noted the ban on Arab parties from the Israeli election as a reason for Hamas' rockets, you might be interested in the follow-up. The Israeli Supreme Court struck down the ban. Would this have happened elsewhere in the Middle East? Do not think so. See story:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1057497.html