Quote:
Originally Posted by Manhattanboy
Interesting read on the Hamas attack in the Atlantic:
https://apple.news/ANW4d61SOT5WRa7kTOaRO9g
“What is Israel to make of an enemy that launches an attack like this, and does not have an immediate Step Two? The more details that come out about what happened this weekend, the more it seems that the simple answer could be correct. In that way Hamas’s operation resembles 9/11 even more than the sneak attack that began the 1973 Yom Kippur War. In the days after 9/11, Americans waited in fear for a Step Two that never came. It took years to realize that al-Qaeda didn’t have a sophisticated strategy at all, which is one reason its central terror networks have been obliterated.
Indeed, it is becoming clear that Hamas achieved what is sometimes called catastrophic success: a short-term victory so staggering that its leaders did not predict it and could not handle it even as it was happening, and whose massive long-term consequences are likely dire for Hamas.
Step One was to infiltrate Israel and commit crimes against humanity. Step Two—well, it’s not clear what Step Two is, and even Step One is looking half-baked. Terrorists gonna terrorize. On one hand, this would be, oddly, good news for Israel in the short term. An enemy incapable of discipline and coordinated strategic thought is a weaker enemy. On the other hand, an enemy without moral boundaries, who will kill unarmed old people, but not before commandeering their cellphones to stream their murder for their grandchildren, is not a promising partner in any kind of peace process.“ |
Oct 7 was a one-way suicide mission for the terrorists - the IDF has killed most of them. An Economist analysis of the attacks points out that losing around 1,000 of its most highly-trained and motivated members will hurt Hamas’ capabilities.
It’s a mistake to see these actions through the lens of rational, long-term political strategy. Hamas has a lot more in common with al-Qaeda and ISIS than with the PLO.