In 1993, the Palestinians could have had peace had Arafat proved faithful in Oslo. He didn't. In 2006, the Palestinians could have freely elected a viable coalition of leaders to govern Gaza instead of terrorists. They didn't. Notwithstanding, Israel has been remarkably tolerant and restrained. Until Gaza renounces Hamas, until Hamas renounces their charter calling for the destruction of Israel, nothing will change.


Rather than using foreign aid to make life better for the folks with food, houses, hospitals and schools, the PA and its proxies chose to finance weapons and build infiltration tunnels. With tacit world approval, Hamas has been firing interminable arrays of rockets into heavily populated areas of Israel since the beginning of the second intifada in 2000. Hamas abducted and subsequently murdered 3 Israeli teens, culminating in the present conflict. All by their design, they used their children as human shields and cowered behind anonymity and the ensuing optics of collateral civilian casualties in order to foment world opinion against Israel. The loss of life and missed opportunities are as regrettable by Israel as they were foreseeable by Hamas.


Hamas can't even be trusted to maintain a cease fire so having their own state is a non-starter. On at least 5 separate occasions, when Israel ceased, Hamas fired. What Hamas and its terrorist sympathizing morally relativistic progressive apologists in the liberal media know of peace wouldn't be enough to fill a Post-It note. Nothing SHOULD change. They can rest in "peace" under the "shovel-ready" grave tunnels Hamas has already built!