Marzook Declares Victory

Moussa abu Marzook, number 2 in Hamas, is declaring victory at the Guardian. Noting noteworthy in that, of course. What is mildly interesting is how the terms of the conflict have changed. Back in 2005 Israel disbanded its settlements in Gaza, and moved out the IDF. For a brief moment in September 2005 Gaza was unoccupied by Israel and open to the world, before the rising number of kassams prompted Israel to begin, hesitatingly partially and slowly, to attempt to halt them by closing the borders. Even so, the terms of the discussion have significantly changed. Gone are the mindless slogans about how the settlements are the source of all evil; the discussion these days both in the rhetoric of Hamas and in the feverish comments posted by the Guardian's readership is about 60 years of Israeli crimes: i.e. Israel's existence.