Okay, I see you're not going to answer my question. I am always researching, but I feel confident I can answer this question without doing more. Theoretically, yes, Gaza is an independent territory and elected Hamas. I'll go further and say their other alternative, the PLO, wasn't any better (indeed, I'd even say the PLO is worse because at least Hamas is honest about their intentions and the PLO is a...well, I don't have to tell you).

As for Egypt, it wants Gaza, it doesn't want Gaza, will it want Gaza again? Who knows? ;) Let's put Egypt aside.

To understand where I'm coming from, even if you don't agree, you need to accept, for a bit, that I don't believe Gaza can govern itself. They're too poor, uneducated and bred into stupidity. I'm sorry that sounds harsh. But that's doesn't mean they aren't as human as you or I or anyone else. That doesn't mean some of them can't become rocket scientists or cure cancer. Some can...but not enough.

Israel is not welcome in the Middle East. I don't need to explain that to you. Therefore, Gazans have been used to undermine Israel. Can Gazans resist that? Not on their own. The question is, if Israel tried with all its might to integrate Gazans into Israeli society would the problem be fixed? Could Israel outspend Iran, so to speak? I don't know. But I feel that strategy would have worked better than the current strategy.

I mean look at this objectively. Israel doesn't give Gazans citizenship, asks them to govern themselves when outside military interests pay them to kill Jews while it PAY haredi to form the same insular ignorant groups (as Palestinians) protected by the IDF to further inflame the economic disparity between Arab and Jew. Why, because they're "real Jews". It's madness.

All this is to say I'm not a bit surprised Israel is where it is today. It was my worry as soon as the wall went up. Walls don't work between uneven economic neighbors. There must be economic parity. Sure, you can make the argument, as you do, that logically Gaza is free to do what it wants, so it is what it is. Again, I don't buy it. You know they're stupid and you're taking advantage of that by going cheap, building a wall, letting them make stupid decisions, and even sacrificing 1,200 Israelis because you start to believe your own BS (that all the military might in the world will keep the dummies trapped on the other side of the wall by just saying "boo").

Then when they win a battle you parade around their mission statement which is to kill you in war. As if that makes you good, the wall builder? Israel has played them for suckers and lost a battle.

I am not justifying or condoning Hamas. I am speaking to you man to man. Reality. That's what you asked for. You think, okay, I thought they were getting peaceful, my bad, I'll go in and slaughter them all. That won't work. It won't work because you didn't shore up support from Israeli Arabs or the Palestinians in the West Bank. You've invested 100% of Israel's security in spy software, F-35s, submarines and Missiles, etc. They won't work against Arabs in trenches with guns. No more than they work in Ukraine.

I don't have any answers. If I could wave my magic wand, I'd eliminate Hamas, the PLO, then create a starter government for the Palestinians and Israel and the U.N. police. Create real ways for Israeli citizenship. Make that a 30 year goal.

The problem with that plan, of course, isn't the Palestinians in Israel. Its' all the surrounding envious Arab countries (again, don't have to tell you).

Israel can keep them at bay with its nukes. But it can't fix anything internally with them, indeed, only makes it worse, has done so... To much blood as been spilled for a 2-State solution. The Palestinians shouldn't even want it if they're smart. The best for everyone in Israel is to have the same citizenship but different religions. Everyone in the IDF. No exceptions. Would it be easy? No. But the British did it with the blacks and Indians. America did it with the blacks. Jews can do it with Palestinians.