Eric Trager says that’s the best possible outcome for Israel:
That all seems a bit fanciful. Haaretz now reports that two rockets have hit Be’er Sheva — the first time such rockets have reached so deep into Israel (about 25 miles from Gaza). If anything, it seems that Hamas has doubled down and in so doing cornered the Israeli leadership. How are the Israelis to escape this with a credible deterrent and a credible claim to victory if they cease fire while Hamas retains an arsenal capable of penetrating so deeply into Israel? Another ten miles and Hamas could hit Tel Aviv, precisely the threat which compels an occupation of the West Bank. Also at Contentions, Noah Pollak offers what I think is the only acceptable outcome for Israel:
Obviously no such support will be forthcoming from most of the world’s democracies, but most of the world’s democracies are irrelevant in this fight. Israel has the support of the United States, and it will, presumably, continue to have such support in the wake of Obama’s inauguration. If Hamas is not neutered, at least temporarily, then how can this be spun as a success, and how can Kadima hold on to power?
