[prewett]

How do you expect Israel to defend itself against an enemy that lives next door and is indistinguishable from the citizenry? Doing nothing is not an option: Hamas' explicit, public goal is the annihilation of Israel, and they are right next door. An analogous situation would be if some member(s) of the family next door publicly wanted you dead, and randomly shot at you, your family, and your house. But you don't know which ones, or how many, and you're pretty sure that most of the family is more or less okay with you living there. What do you think the police are going to do? And in this case, there is no police. So what is Israel supposed to do? (The reality is, there is no good solution, in part because Hamas engineered it that way, although I don't see any good solution even if they haddn't.)

[jmprspret]

How do you expect Palestine to defend itself against an enemy that lives next door and is indistinguishable from the citizenry? Doing nothing is not an option: Israel's explicit, public goal is the annihilation of Palestine, and they are right next door.

The reality is, there is no good solution. Because Israel has engineered it that way, not Palestine, not Hamas.

[nlh]

I know the sibling commenter mentioned this, but it bears repeating just for emphasis:

> Israel's explicit, public goal is the annihilation of Palestine

This is categorically false.

[ignoramous]

> This is categorically false

If the people of the only democracy in the middle east didn't believe this, they'd not have elected Likud to power for 2 decades and counting.

  The Right of the Jewish People to the Land of Israel (Eretz Israel)

  a. The right of the Jewish people to the land of Israel is eternal and indisputable and is linked with the right to security and peace; therefore, Judea and Samaria will not be handed to any foreign administration; between the Sea and the Jordan there will only be Israeli sovereignty.

  b. A plan which relinquishes parts of western Eretz Israel, undermines our right to the country, unavoidably leads to the establishment of a "Palestinian State," jeopardizes the security of the Jewish population, endangers the existence of the State of Israel. and frustrates any prospect of peace.

https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/original-party-platform...

[ah27182]

It really isnt. You would be blind to think otherwise.

“I am the only one who will prevent a Palestinian state in Gaza and [the West Bank] after the war” - Netanyahu

[nvm0n2]

> Israel's explicit, public goal is the annihilation of Palestine

No it is not. Israel got its own people out of the Gaza strip years ago and hasn't let them back in since. Israel supplies Gaza with water and electricity because Hamas prefers to spend its resources on building tunnel networks and rockets instead of power stations and water treatment works. It is also militarily superior and has nuclear weapons. If they actually decided to "annihilate" Gaza it would be a smoking pile of glass tomorrow, as the military capability is there.

> an enemy that lives next door and is indistinguishable from the citizenry

The IDF wear uniforms and are easily identifiable.

> Doing nothing is not an option

They have lots of options, including making peace with Israel. Step 1 would be to replace the government committed to its destruction, with one that is willing to talk instead of launch rockets. But the Palestinians seem to support the existing strategy.

[covercash]

> They have lots of options, including making peace with Israel. Step 1 would be to replace the government committed to its destruction, with one that is willing to talk instead of launch rockets.

How’s that working out for the Palestinians in the West Bank?

[s1artibartfast]

Obviously better than the Palestinians in Gaza? Is that in question?

[evancox100]

I mean, the actual material living conditions in the West Bank might be better, but don’t the Gazans at least have some form of sovereignty over their land? My understanding is that there is no real independent West Bank Palestinian government that exercises security over the land and the people on it. At least not in favor of the Palestinians.

[runarberg]

West Bank also has to suffer constant raids from the IDF in addition to settler violence. Over 100 people had already died in such raids before oct. 7 just this year. They’re land has been partitioned, there are military checkpoints they must go through when the travel inside the West Bank. Many Palestinians are arrested on a regular basis, sometimes without any charges (administrative detention).

Settler violence is also a pretty big deal there, it ranges from vandalism, theft, murder and terrorism. This often goes unpunished and sometimes the IDF even helps settlers steal houses and land from West Bank Palestinians. Note that settlers may even include very conservative Floridians who just moved to “Israel” and feel entitled to a house owned and occupied by a Palestinian family.

[nvm0n2]

> don’t the Gazans at least have some form of sovereignty over their land?

They just got ground invaded by an army they can't fight, so, no.

[Aerbil313]

> How do you expect Israel to defend itself against an enemy that lives next door?

I wonder why the "enemy" lives so close? How did they come there?