A Brief Guide for the Perplexed 27
doubt still existed , that anti-Zionism could not be separated from antisemitism ; that Hamas was inspired both by ISIS and the Nazis in its bloodlust ; and that Hamas , undisputed ruler of Gaza since 2007 , was not focused primarily on the coastal strip ’ s development , but , as its founding charter stipulated , on Israel ’ s destruction .
Quickly recovering from its costly security lapse , Israel launched its response , vowing to destroy the elaborate Hamas terrorist infrastructure , to free the hostages , and to end the perennial security threat to Israel from Gaza , while keeping a close eye on the Iranbacked Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iran itself . After all , Iran , patron of Hamas and Hezbollah , entrenched in Syria , making gains in the West Bank , and embedded in Iraq and Yemen , seeks Israel ’ s eradication .
Israel is a democracy and thinks and behaves like a democracy .
That ’ s not always easy to do in light of the situation it faces . But , while Israel gets its share of criticism for allegedly heavy-handed methods , the Palestinians , despite all their shrill rhetoric , understand better than anyone it is precisely Israel ’ s democratic values and rule of law that they believe could be the nation ’ s Achilles ’ heel .
The Palestinians know , even if they don ’ t publicly acknowledge it , that the democratic system places limits on Israel ’ s policy options .
They know that Israel has a multiparty political system , and that these parties include every viewpoint from extreme left to extreme right , from secular to religious , from Russian Jewish to Arab . Apropos , an Israeli Arab party , Ra ’ am or United Arab List , actually held the balance of power in a recent Israeli government coalition .
They know that public opinion in Israel counts for something and can affect policy .
They know that Israel enjoys a free and inquisitive press . They know that Israel has an independent judiciary that holds a respected place in the nation ’ s life and that has not hesitated to overrule government , even military , decisions deemed to be inconsistent with the spirit or letter of Israeli law .