(Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies-Bar-Ilan University) Hillel Frisch - Hamas has failed in both its major objectives: "resistance" - the quest to destroy the State of Israel - and governing Gaza. Following the third round of the Israel-Hamas conflict in 2014, missile launchings and tunnel attacks on Israel have come to an almost complete halt. In the preceding years, Hamas and the other factions launched on average 1,500 rockets a year, a number that has dwindled to 25 a year, by Salafi movements that chafe under Hamas rule. The Hamas government failed to solve Gaza's pressing electrical blackouts, which have created sewage and other ecological problems. A movement touted for having provided welfare services in the past is now devoting less than 2% of its expenditures, by its own account, to health and welfare. Moreover, Hamas is unable to pay its civil servants their full salaries on a regular basis. The number of Gaza residents who show up to Hamas rallies has diminished significantly. Israel must be patient. Time is on its side. The writer is a professor of political and Middle East studies at Bar-Ilan University and a senior research associate at its BESA Center.
2017-05-15 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive