Summary

The Palestinian tunnels show a determination to fight Israeli rule

In turn, I am stunned that the Israelis were stunned, because they seem unable to grasp the nature of the conflict they are engaged in against all Palestinians.

Anyone who uses traditional political, diplomatic or military criteria to analyze the current conflict between Israel and Palestinians in Gaza will only become hopelessly lost, and miss the realities that drive both sides – as the stunned Israelis have demonstrated.

Its aim is a pacified and demilitarized population in Gaza that can be savagely attacked every time it tries to resist Israeli subjugation, with Israeli military controls defining all other Palestinian borders.

The Palestinians have done this to achieve three goals that cannot be separated: to stop Israeli military attacks on Gaza; to end the siege on Gaza and allow its people to live a normal life; and to seek a redress of grievances and end the Palestinians’ refugee status in an internationally legitimate manner.

The latest round of attacks by Israelis and Palestinians may prove to be most significant for pushing all concerned to seek a permanent resolution of the Israeli-Palestinians conflict, rather than letting it fester in 19th-century colonial mode, as has been the case for decades.

Read more: http://dailystar.com.lb/Opinion/Columnist/2014/Jul-31/265510-palestinian-tunnels-show-a-determination-to-fight-israeli-rule.ashx#ixzz39AYVGG81
(The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)