No i believe Israeli objectives, at least stated objectives, have remained remarkably stable since the beginning of their defense. It took two days just to get the terrorists out of Israeli territory. Now that the terrorists have been pushed back inside their own territory, the objective is the same: Hamas must go. Hamas would be gone now, if they a) had no hostages b) fought above ground c) did not use human shields. But they do use human shields, both their own people, and Israelis (the hostages). I've yet to hear a good alternative suggestion, from anyone calling for a ceasefire, as to how Hamas can be eradicated, without fighting them through, around, over and under their human shields. Not just human shields, structural shields like hospitals, clinics, mosques and schools. Do you think for one minute that just because Hamas was pushed back into their territory that they will stop a) attacking now b) planning attacks for the future c) attacking in the future? No. So, since they have hostages, they have increased the urgency that Israel arrest them now...not in the future, after hostages have been held for some years, if not sold for a very very high price. Were you thinking that the price should be the release of every single Jihadi being held in Israeli prisons? Were you thinking that, plus the evacuation of the Israeli nation, and relocation of all Jews to Europe or New York? So, your exaggerations about the body count can't stop what must happen, now. You do not know how many Gazan civilians have been killed. You don't know how many terrorists have been killed. The terrorists don't even know how many terrorists have been killed since there are no numbers on that coming from them. So how do they know how many civilians have been killed? They don't know, so neither do you. So you don't know how many children in Gaza have been killed. You don't know how many parents kept their children in the north, refusing to take them to safer zones in the south. You also don't know how many civilians were, taking up arms to help Hamas, as sympathizers, because the Gazan are largely fighting without uniforms. You also don't know how many sympathizers just wanted to defy Israels recommendation to go south. You don't know how many civilians were compelled to stay in the north, even at Hamas gunpoint. Indeed, some were gunned down trying to exit. You don't know how many civilians are Hamas loyalists, remaining in the danger zones. You really don't know anything except talking points. Your numbers have only one purpose, to incite hatred and emotional response all over the world, perhaps to pressure the US to force a cease fire, or make demands about time limits. All of your rhetoric serves to save Hamas. You don't even realize what saving Hamas means, not only for the peoples of Israel, but also the peoples of Gaza, who have been so repressed by the Hamas regime, that they dare not speak out. There were already the next "it" terrorist groups in Gaza, lined up behind Hamas, with different names, ready to step up, before Oct 7. One of them is called "Islamic Jihad"! I mean, how much clearer can it be?! This proves that it doesn't take a ground invasion for Gazans to incite themselves into terrorist groups, with different names, all ready to continue the global Jihad started several centuries ago. If you think that a ground invasion will just multiply their number, then you are really just calling Gazans stupid. I really don't think Gazans are so stupid they can't see Hamas' role, even their ideology, in their quality of life. If you are afraid of what people will think about the quality or quantity of Israeli self-defense, then you are actually responding accordingly, as terrorists wish you to respond...with fear...of what people will think...especially of what Muslims will think. Not all Muslims are as stupid as you think, or as stupid as Hamas thinks. If you are afraid of what Muslims might think, maybe it is you who have Islamophobia: the fear of what Muslims might think, and how they might respond, to self-defense actions taken by peoples that Muslims attack.
edit: john mearsheimer is not Jewish, I misinterpreted something he said during the interview and couldn't edit post above.
Mearsheimer, of all people, should understand the Israeli position. After all, there are similarities and parallels to Putin's position. As Mearsheimer explains it, Putin has been alarmed, and rightly so, about the expansion of NATO, despite the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the 1990s. His concerns now, are the same as John Kennedys concerns during the Cuban missile crises: a forward position from which missiles can be fired, and reach their targets, before they can be defended against. What people don't know much about the Cuban missile crisis is the US already had forward bases for missiles already positioned, and already too close for Soviet comfort. (I believe it was Turkey that the US was using as a forward base). And accordingly, the Cuban missile crises was quietly ended when the Kennedy quietly agreed to remove our missiles from those forward bases in Europe. Well, Ukraine is a lot closer to Moscow than were those forward bases in the early 1960's. And our missiles have greatly improved in aiming and destructive capability. And, our rhetoric has heated up hotter than ever before, ever since Killery and the DNC, in conspiracy with US legacy media, and in conspiracy with US deep state, decided to blame Putin for Trump becoming President, kicking off a neo cold war. That cold war started, or got a lot hotter, when Obama kicked out dozens of Russian diplomats at Christmas time, after Trump got elected. Finally, Putin drew a red line after the US led coup in Ukraine, the arming of Ukraine, the forward missile bases in Ukraine, and the actual use of missiles, by Ukraine, on their own ethnic Russian regions in the east! How are the parallels not obvious then? Northern Gaza and southern Lebanon are the forward bases for the centuries old global Jihad that, like NATO after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, constantly encroaches closer and closer into close proximity from which an attack, especially a surprise attack, can be launched. These forward bases are a lot closer to Tel Aviv than the Donbass is to Moscow. Instead of taking out these forward bases, as Putin would have done, and rightly so, Israel invested in an "Iron Dome" technology so that the global Jihad could continue to fire missiles at Israel on an almost daily basis. So common were the missile launches that Israel distributed a mobile "app" (there an app for that) so Israelis can be forewarned to take shelter. They did this because of Islamophobia: the fear of what Muslims might thing about the self-defense actions taken by peoples that the Muslims attack. So common were these missile attacks that they were no longer a surprise. But then, the surprise attack came, using an extra heavy barrage of missiles as cover. As the missile drove everybody in Israel into their shelters, the Jihadi surprise ground invasion began, even while missiles sored over the invaders heads, providing them cover. In their shelters, people did not see the surprise ground invasion coming. So finally, Israel decided that their Islamophobia was really damaging their security and decided to stop any more missiles from coming from the global Jihadi forward bases in south Lebanon and north Gaza. How is this not obviously similar to the encroachment problems that Putin was facing? Finally, Putin decided that his USophobia and his Europhobia and his NATophobia was damaging his nations security. He saw missiles, already falling into the Donbass region onto the heads of ethnic Russians, and decided that he, and Moscow, was next. So he, Putin, took actions that Mearsheimer defends as his, Putin's right. Israel decided that Tel Aviv was next and decided not to fear Islam anymore. The US is also next, and until we stop fearing what Muslims might think about self-defense, we will continue to be...next.
This is exactly what I mean. This is the definition of Islamophobia: Fear of what Muslims might think, or how they might respond to self-defense actions taken by peoples that Muslims attack. Basically, this is the strategic strategy of terrorism. It's similar to the crazy dictator strategy. You don't attack a crazy dictator because you don't know how the hell they will respond. Except it's these crazy people.
This shorts clip makes my point: https://youtube.com/shorts/ipluAXBOgCo?si=Hr0bq5opKAqDQR3H Fear is a strategy. Islamophobia (fear of Islam) is a strategy. Invoking the fear of what Muslims may think, or how they will respond to the self-defense actions of peoples that are attacked by Muslims...is a strategy. This strategy works when you, as an individual, or as a nation, think twice about offensive actions against Islamic territory, or better yet, think twice about defensive actions against the expansion of Islamic territory. Ideally , the inculcation of phobia prevents you from even thinking once, or thinking at all about defensive actions. Ideally you will drop all defenses and allow Islam to walk into your country and make you a "dimmi" within it...without a shot fired. Here, Mohammed Hijab is just dripping with the personification of the crazy dictator strategy, big pirate beard and everything. Except it's those crazy people. Those crazy people who care more about death than life. Those crazy people who aren't afraid of dying, when they come rushing at you with knives. Those crazy people who make themselves ungovernable by international law. Note well the smirk on his face when a Muslim decides to label you as a colonialist. 'Let the colonization begin" is intentionally ambiguous about who the ultimate colonizer will be. He grins because he means that you will be colonized by Islam, as the meaning of words are confused and conflated. You can only be confused if you are infected with the intended phobia.
Israeli hostages 'singled out for brutal treatment' by Hamas, say freed Thai captives https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-n...were singled out,in detail about their ordeal.
https://archive.ph/Bl58g#selection-1151.0-1194.0 The intelligence was based on several sources that pointed to worrisome preparations on the other side of the border. The later warning had been preceded by other intelligence that aroused concerns among officials. The findings were worrying enough that top defense officials held two urgent consultations on Friday night in an effort to determine whether the intelligence they had in hand pointed to plans by Hamas to infiltrate Israeli territory. The first phone meeting took place close to midnight and included senior figures from the Shin Bet security service’s southern district and Military Intelligence; Gen. Oded Basyuk, head of the IDF’s operations branch, Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkleman, the head of the Southern Command and other senior officers. Chief of Staff Herzl Halevi was made aware of the warnings and the urgent consultations. A second consultation, which included now Ronen Bar, the Shin Bet chief, took place at about 3 A.M. Saturday. The commander of the Gaza Division’s Northern Brigade, Col. Haim Cohen, who signed the papers on October 5 authorizing the Nova party, was aware of the warnings, and knew about the urgent meetings that were taking place that night. Following the second meeting, the IDF decided to accept the Shin Bet’s opinion that Hamas was conducting a training exercise and was not preparing for an attack. Military Intelligence accepted that view but due to concerns by the Southern Command forces were to be made ready for the possibility that Hamas might act.
https://www.foxnews.com/live-news/december-10-israel-hamas-war#post-11 “The war is still ongoing, but this is the beginning of the end of Hamas,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said dozens of militants had surrendered to Israel Defense Forces. “I say to Hamas terrorists. It’s over. Don’t die for [Hamas leader Yahya] Sinwar. Surrender — now.”