Le Shorter: Payback

Israel's invasion of the Palestinian ghetto in an effort to exterminate Hamas will not succeed in eliminating Arab resistance, but will succeed in killing innocents. The invasion, despite Hamas provocation, is generating more international support for an ethnic minority group increasily viewed as the victim of Israeli militarism. Blocking the UN Security Council from passing a resolution for immediate ceasefire with its veto this weekend put the US on the wrong side of the Middle East solution again. The vote demonstrates the power of the Jewish American lobby in our domestic politics. Hamas is a terrorist organization but so was the Irgun. Hamas also happens to be the popularly elected representative of the Palestinians living in the Gaza ghetto. Unless Israel is prepared to reduce the Strip to a concentration camp and put itself in a role antithetical to it's proclaimed national values and historical experience, it should return to seeking a negotiated settlement with the Palestinian remnant in its midst, even if that path may mean some stray rockets landing on its turf.