John Mearsheimer

They should have worked with Hamas to do everything they can to facilitate a two-state solution, because I think ultimately that's in Israel's interest.

Now, the Israeli government and most Israelis at this point in time, I believe, don't agree with that.

The question is...

should they continue until they have finally defeated Hamas?

There are all sorts of reports in the media, including in the Israeli media, that they're not going to be allowed by the United States to continue this offensive for much more than a few weeks.

The Israelis have been saying it's going to take, in the best of all possible worlds, a number of months, if not a year, to finish off Hamas.

Well, it doesn't look like they're going to have enough time to do that.

I doubt whether they can finish off Hamas even if they're given the time.

I think they're going to run into fierce resistance.

And when they run into fierce resistance and large numbers of Israelis are going to start to die, they'll lose their appetite for this.

And they, the Israelis, surely know at this point in time that even if they finish off Hamas, even if I'm wrong and they're able to finish off Hamas, another group is going to rise up to resist the occupation.

The idea that you can use what Ziv Yabotinsky called the iron wall.

To beat the Palestinians into submission is delusional.

It's just not going to happen.

The Palestinians want a state of their own.

They don't want to live under occupation.

There's no military solution for Israel here.

There has to be a political solution.

And the only viable political solution is a two-state solution.

I mean, you can't go to democracy.