Hamas may have lost the battle...

The old military adage of 'losing the battle but winning the war' has never been more relevant. Today, with news of a possible ceasefire in the offing, it seems pertinent to comment on not only the military but media campaign currently being waged not only on the streets of Gaza but in newsrooms and tv stations across the world.

With Hamas's limited budget, relatively primitive weaponry and handful of fighters it would hardly seem a match for the mighty Israeli forces. Few dispute that these rather primitive actions, dating back well over the years, have however provoked Israel's natural right to protection of its self - its not like its going to find much favour with its neighbours now...

Hamas has however called down upon itself quite an overwhelming response that it, must in part, be held accountable for. Indeed, the state of Gaza - if it is to be called that - has already seen the removal of Hamas's main political rival in Abbas but now this is threatened, as I would argue is Hamas's own political hegemony in the region now. There has been two main strategies at play here.

Firstly, it must be commented upon that Gaza has arguably been at war for a lot longer than Israel's current campaign can give credit for. The isolation and cutting off of humanitarian relief, utilities and other essential features has rendered the area already a Baron and desperate land - before any bombs hit Gaza city. Oxford Historian Avi Schliam touched on the radical issue truly at heart in this current conflict,

There remains an unresolved issue of settlers moving people out and then
cutting them of.

Secondly though, in this media war, it is obviously apparent the extent to which an image of injured Palestinian child has. It has more than a cultural resonance, and I would argue this is right. However, it is worth baring in mind that it is Hamas who continue to fire rockets deeper and deeper into Israel - aware of the likely reply of Israeli forces.

Israel, for its part, is of course guilty of a crime against humanity - just as an invading power is. But so to are those militants who continue to fire rockets into Israel. However, the continued shelling of the densely populated cities of Gaza raises numerous questions of the relative retaliation and need for such a heavy handed approach. This, of course, plays into the hands of those seeking to accuse Israel of being unwarranted in their actions but it does raise this crucial question, what is appropriate to bring a terrorist organisation (certainly to many Western countries) to the table? Does force only recognise force?

So tonight, as news continues to roll in of ceasefires, and then those ceasefires being ignored, it seems very apparent that this conflict is being fought on more than one front. Whilst Israel continues to have military superiority it remains to be seen how long it fend off the international community as indeed Israel does seem to be losing the PR battle hands down.