[This was posted five days before Israel responded to Hamas’ attacks.]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/12/21/israel.gaza/index.html

Gaza attacked Israel again, raining more than 200 missiles on Israeli civilians last week. It got very little news, perhaps because Arab terrorism on Israelis is so common as to be expected in the media. I fear that Israel’s self-defense, in contrast, will be well covered. But it should be clear there is no moral equivalence. Hamas is trying to kill as many Israeli civilians as possible; Israel is trying to stop these attacks, by attacking the terrorists who shoot the missiles, while killing as few Arab civilians as possible.

The most serious victims of the Hamas Terrorist State of Gaza, of course, are not Israelis but the Arabs who live there and will continue to suffer miserably. There will be no peace in Gaza until Hamas is overthrown.

Perhaps the only way to stop the missile attacks and end Hamas’ terrorist rule would be if Israel were to reoccupy Gaza, but such an incident would upset many in the world community who unfairly believe that Israel — unique among nations — does not have the right under international law that all nations have to self defense. Meanwhile Gazans advocating for a democratic government are repressed or shot by Hamas. So the situation continues, because so many in the world don’t really give a damn about Gaza. (The UN condemns Israel a lot but does nothing to even discuss Hamas or the other many oppressive Arab regimes.) They just want Israel to withstand attack after terrorist attack without striking back.

The real question is what Gaza Arabs think. And it’s hard to know, given that those who would protest the Hamas Government often end up dead. I expect there are many Palestinian Arabs who wish they could have democracy in Gaza. I suspect there are some that recognize they were better off under Israeli rule. And I’m sure there are unfortunately quite a few that are persuaded by Hamas propaganda that somehow Hamas’ relentless murderous attacks on civilians in the Sovereign State of Israel are worth it, even if they’re mostly ineffective and even if the Gaza Arabs suffer more.

The conflict will continue, as some Gaza Arabs sacrifice their own family’s lives, a horrific economy and no hope for anything positive just to attack Israeli civilians. Meanwhile other Gaza Arabs do nothing but merely watch in horror. They are either unwilling or powerless to overthrow Hamas or stop the attacks.

The conflict will continue until Gaza Arabs either rise up and overthrow the Hamas terrorist state (by force of arms or democratic means) or Israel reoccupies Gaza, ignoring world pressure not to do so. Everyone in the region understands that only when Gaza ceases declaring war on its neighbor can any Peace Process take place with justice to all the Israelis and Arabs there. Hamas understands this well. Which is why it will continue its perpetual war, as long as it maintains its iron grip on power.