One big revelation (at least to me) to come out of the Gaza war is that Netanyahu provided for major financial support to Hamas as a way of weakening the PLO.   The idea was that weakening the PLO would undermine any efforts for a two-state solution.    Netanyahu hates the two-state solution, because his stock-in-trade is as a strongman protecting Israelis from Palestinian evil.  Hamas hates the two-state solution, because (as they announced) they want all non-Muslims gone.

It’s worth emphasizing that these converging interests are still driving this war.  First of all, there is no question that Israel is playing Hamas’ game.  Hamas launched an infinitely repulsive attack in order to provoke a violent Israel response—one that would undermine efforts for peace between Israel and the Arab world.  That Hamas placed its tunnels and other military installations under civilian institutions (such as hospitals) was not just to provoke outrage in the world in general but most specifically to provoke outrage in the Arab world.  The inevitable horrors inflicted on the population would make any coexistence with Israel intolerable.

If anyone other than Netanyahu were running the Israel government, there would have been at least some consideration for the wisdom of giving Hamas exactly what they wanted.  However for Netanyahu there were no such qualms.  This was a marvelous opportunity for pumping up hatred of the Palestinians as well as an opportunity for redeeming himself politically. “Just imagine how much worse this all would have been if instead of from Gaza this was all coming from a Palestinian state right next door!”  What’s more he could put on a show of irreplaceable toughness.  Any issues with his criminal activities or his treasonous past relations with Hamas would be erased by crushing the Palestinians now.  (And think of the opportunities from a subsequent occupation of Gaza.)

Once Israel started with such a response, they were stuck in it–because they had to succeed no matter what.  And for now there is little incentive for either side to stop.  The well-being of the Palestinians, or even the Israelis for that matter, is simply not an issue.  Things are going just fine, and both sides are delivered from the one thing they hate most—which is a workable (two-state) peace.