While Israel gained from previous operations outside its territories, that logic no longer works
What does Israel stand to gain from its present attack on Gaza? Nothing more than destruction and more Palestinian bloodshed, said Khaled Al Dakhil, a Saudi academic and contributor in the pan-Arab newspaper Al Hayat.
"[Israel] can't impose options of political concessions neither on Palestinians nor Arabs; they have given everything there is to give," he said.
The present raid on Gaza once again confirms that the Israeli command still operates in the same reasoning that governed its bloody inception and the logic of military supremacy that won the 1967 war. Israel has always sought to wage its wars outside its own territories, thus ensuring a minimum of human casualties.
"But this too is slowly but surely changing. Rockets have entered the battle equation now and this is a technology that is out of control. Hamas missiles are a nuisance at this point. They aren't destructive, but they have surely changed the outlook for the future," he added.
Time isn't on Israel's side. The concept of waging war for the sake of war used to be a handy pressure card against Arabs, especially Palestinians. Not anymore. Israel doesn't have the necessary human or economic resources to adopt occupation as a constant policy and war as an eternal choice. No country in the world could do that.
"It is true that the Arabs are suffering from chronic weakness and that the Palestinians are afflicted by sharp divisions and it is true as well that the Western and US support to Israel is unlimited and unprecedented. However, despite its military might, Israel cannot benefit from these political perks more than it has already," the writer opined.
Israel is constrained by its very nature as an occupation power whose main characteristics are racism, aggressiveness and brutality.
Tel Aviv is party to three peace agreements with Egypt, the Palestinians and Jordan which were followed by an Arab initiative that guaranteed full recognition of its existence as long as it withdraws to the lines of 1967 and allows the creation of an independent Palestinian state.
On top of all this, it enjoys unprecedented US guarantees. Nonetheless, Israel can't feel safe and therefore can't deal with these privileges as a law abiding state that seeks peace. In this sense, it saw Arab concessions and US guarantees as a cover for more geographical encroachment and settlement expansion.
"In light of these facts, there seems to be no way for a reasonable and balanced political solution with Israel. Israel is seeking to impose an impossible equation: a semi-state for the Palestinians with temporary borders and under Israeli control that provides the cover required for the perpetuation of occupation and the complete seizure of Jerusalem. Until then, the Israeli wars would continue."
All Egyptians should with Morsi over Gaza
Patriotism and logic dictate that all Egypt's political forces side with President Mohammed Morsi against the Israeli thuggery in Gaza and the region despite domestic issues, wrote Emad Eddine Hussein in the Cairo-based paper Al Shorouk yesterday.
Some say that Egypt, as it stands, is in a disadvantageous position for a face off with Israel and that domestic issues should come first. But as true as they are, when the nation's dignity is threatened, such objections become meaningless.
This should not be construed as an incitement to a war with Israel. It is an attempt to convince those who "entrench themselves behind the barricade of the rigid logic of numbers that there is such a thing as dignity that is not subject to logical calculations", he added.
"We keep talking about our leading role in the region, but we constantly forget that this entails a price that we have to pay."
To convince Arab nations of Egypt's role as a "big brother", help must be provided. Help here does not mean sending troops to war or severing ties with Israel. It has hundreds of other forms.
Now that President Morsi has recalled Egypt's ambassador to Israel, and Prime Minister Hisham Qandil visited Gaza, "we are obliged to salute them", considering that "our utmost expectation in previous similar situations would be a condemnatory statement", the writer observed
Threatened regimes in a bind over Syria
In his first speech at Syria's People's Council, weeks after the outbreak of the uprising against his regime, Bashar Al Assad clearly said that he would reverse the domino effect. But the revolutions have not ceased and will not, opined Syrian journalist Faisal Al Qassem in the Qatari newspaper Al Sharq.
In saying so, Mr Al Assad attempted to deliver a reassuring message to the rest of revolt-threatened Arab regimes that he would put an end to the Arab Spring that had swept Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and so other Arab countries were on the safe side.
This statement, albeit the highlight of his address, went unnoticed. But, no doubt, other apprehensive Arab countries received it with immense joy, he noted.
The joy over this statement is evidenced by the fact that some Arab states have secretly embarked on backing, by any means possible, the Assad regime to reverse the progress of the domino effect he had promised.
In fact, Mr Al Assad has recently told Russia Today TV that many Arab regimes support him.
Following the outburst of the Arab Spring, many regimes found themselves between two fires: backing the Syrian regime could instigate the street against them, and not backing it could result in a quick fall, and thus encourage others to follow suit.
* Digest compiled by The Translation