Israeli forces are massing for an invasion of Gaza with the objectives of recovering hostages and dismantling the Hamas organization directly responsible for the horrific attacks on Israel. To what extent the invasion will accomplish those objectives is uncertain. What is certain is that the destruction of cities and the displacement of huge numbers of Palestinians will breed the conditions which produce hopelessness and extremist violence for many, many years to come. There is no turning back now of the momentum for violent retribution, but at some point it will have to be admitted that the failure was not just of defensive preparations, but also of the loss of opportunities to create an environment of hope which is ultimately the only real insurance against extremist violence.
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