Gaza: What Was That, A PLASTIC Fist?

In an odd bit of rodomontade, the Israelis are warning Hamas that they just now "face an iron fist," like they'd only been getting the light treatment for the past week or so, if they don't capitulate to Israel's ceasefire terms. To their credit (at least as far as courage goes), Hamas isn't having any of it. They have good reason to be adamant, since there's little for Israel to do except try their luck (how about it, tough guys?) going house-to-house in Gaza City or risk an even bigger black eye from global public opinion by bombing the place. As things are now, I think the statement reported today will give even some Israeli supporters pause, since it pretty has pretty much looked like an iron fist hitting Gaza since this trouble started, and this promises worse. Meanwhile, negotiations continue in Egypt and elsewhere, presumably focusing on getting Hamas to renounce their rocket hobby. It may be pleasurable to insist on a moral right to throw things at the Zionist enemy, but Hamas, as the government of Gaza, is a sovereign entity and ought to exercise sovereign discipline. If they want to build an army and show some real ambition, I have no problem. But their recent ventures seem reminiscent of the strategies of Grand Fenwick. The fictional nation, however, sought economic aid rather than mere sympathy as goal, and luck was on its side, since its fate, unlike that of Hamas, really was in the hands of a higher power.