Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Qué más, Hamas?

I'm a semi-informed non-expert. With that out of the way:

Why wage a military campaign if you know you can't win?

I wonder if Hamas' goal is to provoke Israel into killing as many civilians as possible. Perhaps they're hoping to generate so much anti-Israeli sentiment that Israel is forced, through international pressure, to capitulate.

If this were the case, Hamas would want civilian casualties. I'm sure some feel their cause is one worth dying for, but I wonder if that's how the average Palestinian feels.

I say this because Hamas must know that the rockets are primarily symbolic. Rockets, apparently, are the best way to make a statement. They draw attention to the human rights violations occurring in Gaza.

Does Hamas realize that there is no other possible Israeli response than the military action Israel has been taking?

I assume that's always been understood. Hamas can't possibly believe that the rockets will force Israel to do anything they demand. Not directly, at least.

So why keep at it?