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Source: https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-778418
If Security Problems Are Allowed to Fester, They Become More Difficult to Deal With
(Jerusalem Post) Herb Keinon - At 72 days, the Israel-Hamas war is already one of the longest the country has ever experienced. This type of warfare against terrorists hiding in buildings and popping out of the ground takes time. Every day the pain grows more and more as names are added to the list of the fallen, but Israel must continue to pursue the aims of toppling Hamas, rescuing the hostages, and deterring other regional enemies. One of the reasons Israel finds itself in this current war is because, in previous rounds of fighting in Gaza, it was not willing to "finish the job" and eradicate Hamas. One of the reasons Prime Minister Netanyahu was not willing to finish the job was concern about the public's inability to handle the casualties it would take to bring Hamas to heel. It is the same thinking that prevented the government from taking military action to prevent the buildup of Hizbullah's enormous arsenal following the Second Lebanon War in 2006. Then Oct. 7 hit and the equation changed. Suddenly, because of the pure evil and savagery of the attacks, the public felt that Israel needed to do what it takes, as long as it takes, to remove this threat. There was a realization that no life-aspiring nation could live with terrorists hell-bent on destroying it operating within a stone's throw of communities it was hell-bent on destroying. There was an internalization that security problems do not go away or become more manageable with time. On the contrary, if they are allowed to fester, they only become more difficult to deal with.