We Jews are very accustomed to Talmudic-type analysis which is sometimes problematic in delving deeper than necessary! Our enemies are very clear and we have no reason not to listen and believe them regarding their own stance.
1. They don’t differentiate between Jews, and see us all as colonial “settlers”. They don’t care if some Israelis may be interested in a 2-state-solution or will “make-do” with Tel Aviv, or that most of their Gaza-enveloping casualties were actually peace-loving neighbors, for the enemy will only accept 1 state “from the river to the sea”. All Israelis are similar brothers in the eyes of the enemy, and we should continue behaving as such after the war, as well.
2. Living-room photos of Al-Kuds and soldiers’ testimony from the abandoned homes and shell-loaded baby cribs in Gaza, show that their war is a religious Jihad about Jerusalem, and accordingly, there is no solution to their religious war. There are almost no “innocent civilians” in Gaza who didn’t vote Hamas into power. We can’t change their religion, and they have even less chance of changing our’s! All we can and must do is deter them from any fantasy of success. No, we will not forego Jerusalem and will not return to the 7th -step outside of the Ma’arat HaMachpela.
3. Rav Kook pointed out that the Torah’s punishment for the thief is a stiff monetary fine, for he doesn’t care about risking physical pain and danger. But if he sees that regarding his real motive- money, he not only doesn’t gain but actually loses money, he’ll realize it’s simply counter-productive! If the answer to Bethlehem’s terrorists killing Jews stalled in a traffic-jam by Ma’aleh Adumim is davka to build more “settlements” in both Gush Etzion and Ma’aleh Adumim, not only do we the Jews (!) gain from it, but after several times, they’ll eventually understand that “terror doesn’t pay”! The converse American and UN approach of offering the Palestinian a unilateral state and free UNWRA support is the exact opposite of logic: even a 5 year-old understands that giving a prize to terror will bring more terror.
4. We have a totally different mindset than our enemies, who see killing, raping and beheading innocent civilians as something to celebrate and brag about. Wishful thinking and projecting our mindset as if the Hamas can see things our way, is a childish reaction of ignoring reality. When the eternal Tanach teaches us to stand up to our enemies and defend the Jewish Nation and Land from sadistic opponents, it’s not just a historic and all-knowing G-d’s obligation, but it’s a good and eternal idea, religiously, nationally, militarily and politically.
In short, even after 4 long months and many painful losses of our greatest boys, let’s not forget who and what we are fighting for, and the necessity of both soundly trouncing our enemies and freeing our hostages!