No–Hamas Overplays Its Hand, Forcing Israeli Response

In response to Has the Moment Passed for Israel to Take out Hamas?:

It took about ten minutes for Hamas to make my previous column obsolete by firing rockets at Israel, thereby violating the ceasefire (again) and forcing Israel to pull out of negotiations and retaliate against Hamas targets.

Hamas has–as in the initial decision to go to war–overplayed its hand. The only force unifying Israel’s fractious political leadership and keeping the hypocritical hyenas of international criticism at bay is Hamas itself.

Perhaps Hamas hoped that it could win more concessions at the negotiating table, and boost its prestige, by launching yet another round of conflict. Perhaps it is counting on the Obama administration to restrain Israel.

Yet as Israel responds–forcefully and immediately, this time–those assumptions look faulty. And with the Palestinian Authority potentially seeking revenge for a Hamas coup attempt, this mistake could be Hamas’s last.