America Trends Podcast
EP 709 Does Israel Have an End Game in Mind in Its Response to Hamas’ Brutal Attack?
The words we hear from Israeli government and military officials is that the end game is to rid Gaza of Hamas, the terrorist group that runs it and committed unspeakable atrocities against Israeli citizens on October 7. Yet, if history is a guide, the overwhelming military response now being visited upon Hamas, and civilians who cannot get out of the way, by Israel Defense Forces may have the opposite effect and breed a new generation of terrorists, thus allowing the cycle of violence to erupt again and again. Our guest today, Robert Pape feels that Israel is undertaking this campaign with military tactics, but should be approaching it with a political strategy. Robert Pape, a professor of political science and director of the University of Chicago Project on Security and Threats, has a four-pronged approach which he offers toward the end of our conversation which he feels might pave the road to a more lasting peace. The whole exchange is really worth a listen. Much history is shared to give context to what you are seeing.