"..Not out of any sympathy for Hamas, but simply because there is no one else resisting..."

Judah Grunstein in WPR, here

"......but I was talking with a friend the other day who, despite a lifetime of working towards and supporting moderate coalition building, bluntly said that the Gaza War leaves her convinced of Hamas' necessity. Not out of any sympathy for Hamas, but simply because there is no one else resisting. And if that is her reaction, I can only imagine it is even more widespread among people who don't have any predisposition to a negotiated settlement....

But even if it destroys Hamas, Israel will not destroy the will to resist, especially among that part of the Palestinian people willing to take up arms....By punishing both militants and moderates, Israel creates a no-win situation for the divided Palestinian leadership. And as long as the Palestinian leadership remains in a no-win siutation, Israel itself will remain in a no-win situation."