GAZA UNDER ATTACK: Israeli troops bomb the Gaza Strip on January 11 (XINHUA)

2008 did not end well. On December 27, Israel initiated a large-scale air attack on the Gaza Strip, a narrow piece of land on the Mediterranean coast. Several days later, it launched a ground offensive, entering the suburbs of Gaza City as the bombing campaign continued. Although Gaza now has 1.5 million Palestinians under Hamas control, there is no regular resistance force against the powerful Israeli war machine. While Gaza militants have continued their deadly rocket and mortar attacks on south Israel, overwhelming Israeli military force has caused severe casualties among Hamas leaders and Palestinian civilians. As of January 18, when both Israel and Hamas announced ceasefire, the conflict had killed about 1,200 Palestinians and wounded more than 5,300. Some critics said that Israel had turned Gaza into a ghost town.

A polarizing war

Israel started the war for four reasons.

The first is to destroy Hamas's military capability. The paramilitary-political hybrid organization, which won the Palestinian parliamentary elections in 2006, once insisted on establishing a Palestinian Islamic state encompassing Israel, Gaza and the West Bank. Although the organization generally accepts a two-state solution, it still has fairly extreme and powerful military forces. According to Israeli statistics, altogether 1,257 rockets hit the country in 2008, most of which were launched by Hamas. Israel views Hamas as a thorn in its side and had been planning the current attack for a long time.

The second reason is to bolster support for candidates before the general election in February. Polls show that the ruling Kadima party has been losing ground to the hawkish Likud party as Israeli voters become more conservative. Striking Hamas could save Kadima's electoral chances. Shortly before the conflict began last month, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, who leads Kadima, vowed to end Hamas rule if elected prime minister. "The means for doing this should be military, economic and diplomatic," she said.

The third reason is to erase the shame of the Lebanon war in 2006. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are famous for their outstanding military ability, but they lost face when they overreached in Lebanon. The month-long conflict temporarily weakened Hezbollah, the Islamic militant group based in Lebanon, but the civilian deaths and destroyed infrastructure increased Hezbollah's public support. The ill-conceived conflict drew criticism in Israel from both government opponents and supporters. The Israeli Government and the IDF are using the Gaza war to redeem themselves.

Israel can also use the war to improve its position in future peace negotiations. Israeli leaders are aware that this war cannot be the final solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But weakening Hamas and its extremist stance will benefit Israel at the negotiating table.

As the Israeli assault escalates, it is drawing more world attention. Both Israelis and Palestinians receive overseas support throughout the world.