Rob Feld

WHY ISRAEL MUST WAGE ALL OUT WAR Normal Westerners try to find win-win solutions, and are expected to respond to goodwill with goodwill of their own. Palestinians look at everything as a zero-sum game and look at any goodwill gestures as proof of weakness, and an opportunity to double down on demands. The biggest single mistake that Westerners make is thinking that everyone thinks and acts like we do. As a result, for decades, the West has gotten it wrong. This is why they pressure Israel to always make more concessions, as the adult in the conflict. But it doesn't work unless your partner shares the same basic mindset. Western media didn't report it, but Israel has been loosening restrictions on Gaza for years to the point that the blockade has been effectively ended this year. They have given work permits to many thousands of Gaza workers - a couple of years ago it was zero. They have allowed more "dual use" items. Imports to Gaza went to levels higher than they were before the blockade. The number of people entering and exiting also have been higher than before 2007. (These are UN OCHA-OPT figures.) Hamas knows the difference in the mindsets between themselves and Israelis - and took advantage. They didn't participate in the Islamic Jihad mini-war earlier this year. They kept rockets mostly quiet. They pretended that were trading the effective end of the closure of Gaza for calm with Israel But all that time they were planning this mega-attack on Jews. Some of the workers Israel allowed in gave intelligence to Hamas to maximize the number of Jews to be murdered. Some were actually terrorists who entered Israel themselves on Saturday. Beforehand, the thinking was that Hamas wants calm and doesn't want to upset the people it rules. The wars in Gaza were waged with a carrot and stick approach, thinking that reminding Hamas they have something to lose would keep things calm. It was a fatal miscalculation. Hamas never intended for long term calm. It wanted (with its Iranian masters) to take advantage of what they think of as a weak, stupid Western mentality. That's why this war has to be different from the previous ones. A limited war that leaves the murderers and rapists in power, and an Iranian statelet mere meters from Jewish communities, is no longer acceptable or even thinkable The evil cannot be allowed to stay. Israel has to adopt the Hamas mentality, and treat them like Hamas wants to treat Israel. Israel has to wipe out Hamas and the other terror groups. No matter the cost. Hamas is embedded in houses, buildings, tunnels, bunkers, all in populated areas. Israel needs to take them all out, not some. It needs to kill or imprison all the terror leaders, not some. It cannot tolerate having these monsters living freely next door. Being nice was repaid with the worst day in Jewish history since Auschwitz. Israel's entire purpose is to protect Jews. It must do no less but eradicate the danger completely. Doing anything less would be immoral.