Regarding "Ship of Fools"...

I don't disagree with anything Ryan posted. I have, in the past, voiced the concern that, as long as Hamas was the elected representatives of the Palestinian people (and they still hold the majority in the PA by a whopping 94%), the US would have to be willing to have some level of relations with the terrorist group. The game changes when radical terrorists gain enough support amongst the people to become a "government"... look at Sinn Fein in Northern Ireland, or the Taliban in Afghanistan, or the Revolutionary Council in Iran. Terrorists DO become governments, occasionally.

HOWEVER... no government, no matter how much support they have, can be allowed to operate a terror campaign against a civilian population for as long as Hamas has continued theirs, and not draw the wrath of the rest of the world. Hamas had an opportunity to gain legitimacy through their elections... but refused it and continued their attacks and terror strikes against Israel.

So, understanding that I am FULLY in support of Israel's right to defend itself and its population... can I voice the opinion that an "invasion" of Gaza is a bad idea?

As Ryan pointed out, even the rest of the Arab world is beginning to admit that there is NO winning for Hamas in this regard. Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon have all made it quite clear that they would have no "official" hand in the Hamas effort, and Egypt has kept it's border with Gaza CLOSED from day one. Iran is the only nation openly supporting Hamas, and Syria is undoubtedly doing the same, behind the scenes. This is a level of "good will" from the Arab world that Israel hasn't seen since Camp David. I know there are protests and demonstrations in Jordan and Lebanon on a daily basis, in support of Hamas... but those protesters are PALESTINIANS... not Jordanian or Lebanese nationals.

By continuing with the campaign as they have been (and Hamas attack capability has been reduced by 75% over the last 10 days, by US estimates), Israel doesn't risk alienating their closest Arab neighbors into open hostility. Civilian Palestinian casualties have been minimal (generally speaking), and haven't drawn undo protests from anyone but Hamas and the anti-Israeli crowd here in the US. Let's face it... if even Egypt and Lebanon can't complain about the actions of Israel in light of the Hamas attacks, who the hell can?

What more would invading Gaza give Israel, anyway? The risk of rocket attacks doesn't decrease, but the chance of Israeli casualties does, along with the number of Palestinian civilians to suffer in the attacks (which are guaranteed to rise).

I heard one conservative pundit (Bill Bennett) suggest that the smartest strategy might be to make traffic OUT of Gaza the only traffic available. Let those that WANT to leave the area leave, and know that those staying are aware of the risks involved. Isolate the terrorists in an area where support and supply are not available, until such time as the attacks stop or a more aggressive response is deemed suitable.

Again, I support Israel's right to defend itself and secure its citizen's safety and security... no question. If I have issues with Israel at all (and I'm not saying I do), it is simply that so many of their policies conflict with stated positions and goals... like the continued construction of settlements in the Gaza and West Bank areas, AFTER assurances that no more settlements would be built. There is a big part of me that thinks that STOPPING the construction would take some of the wind out of Hamas sails, and would certainly remove the opportunity for outside (meaning left-wing American) criticism of Israeli policy. Last I heard, the majority of Israelis agreed with ME on this... stop the construction of settlements in the PA areas of Gaza and the West Bank.

Anyway... I guess I'm just not convinced that an invasion of Gaza is in Israel's best interest. Can anyone show me it is?