In this podcast, Jon Alterman discusses the possibility of Israel losing in the war in Gaza, despite being the most formidable military in the Middle East. He explores Hamas' political goals of increasing Palestinian solidarity and isolating Israel, and highlights the necessary actions Israel needs to take in response.
Hamas aims to exploit Israel's military strength to deepen divides and isolate Israel, while increasing Palestinian solidarity and straining relationships with other countries.
Israel needs to rally support globally, strengthen the Palestinian Authority, and provide a genuine alternative to extinguish Hamas flames in Gaza.
Deep dives
Hamas' Strategy: Using Israel's Superior Strength Against It
Hamas does not need to have more strength than Israel to win. Instead, they aim to exploit Israel's superior military strength to their advantage. The more bombs Israel drops, the more casualties it causes, which Hamas believes will deepen the divides and advance their objectives. Their goal is to increase Palestinian solidarity, isolate Israel, prompt the collapse of the Palestinian Authority, and strain relationships between Israel and other countries, such as Arab states, Europe, and the US. Hamas aims to make people question the cost and benefits of a close relationship with Israel.
Israel's Response and the Need for a Different Approach
In response to Hamas' strategy, Israel faces the challenge of a symbolic victory for Hamas. To counter this, Israel needs to rally support globally and especially from the Arab world. They also need to strengthen the Palestinian Authority, separate the population of Gaza from Hamas, and provide a genuine alternative that offers Palestinians a real political horizon. It is crucial to nurture the creation of a Palestinian national movement that can negotiate tangible outcomes with Israel. Extinguishing the Hamas flames in Gaza will require providing a better alternative that presents a substantial improvement over what Hamas offers.
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Israel's Potential Loss and Hamas' Political Goals
The Israeli military is the most formidable fighting force in the Middle East. And yet it is quite possible that the war in Gaza will be the first war in Israel’s history that the army has fought and lost. A new audio brief from the CSIS Middle East Program.
For more spoken word summaries from CSIS experts about their latest reports, white papers, and commentaries, please listen to the CSIS podcast Audio Briefs.
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