December 29th, 2008 by Jason

Here’s some more analysis from the experts on the violence in Gaza:

At Abu Aardvark, Marc Lynch looks at how regimes and news outlets in the region have reacted. He finds U.S. allies Saudi Arabia and Egypt either tacitly or explicitly supporting the Israeli position, while everyone else, including a near-unanimous public opinion, is fiercely on the side of Hamas.

Daniel Levy at Prospects for Peace analyzes the proximate causes of the conflict, and notes that the U.S. is involved deeply whether it wants to be or not. “Today’s events should be ‘exhibit A’ in why the next U.S. Government cannot leave the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to fester or try to ‘manage’ it – as long as it remains unresolved, it has a nasty habit of forcing itself onto the agenda.”

Finally, Juan Cole has an excellent summary of analysis, and includes plenty of his own. He questions Israel’s endgame. “Do the Israelis expect the population at some point to turn against Hamas, blaming it for the blockade and the bombardment?…If the Gaza population doesn’t turn on Hamas, and Israeli measures don’t destroy the organization, then what? They’ll just go on half-starving Gaza’s children for decades?”

Posted in Hamas, Israel, Mideast Peace Plan, Military, Palestine, US foreign policy |