The NYT: Israel must make things easy for Obama

In Incursion into Gaza the editors of the NYT write:

The longer the Israeli incursion, the more casualties mount (550 Palestinians and 5 Israelis have died so far); the more Hamas’s popularity grows among its supporters; the more moderate Arab states, which have correctly blamed Hamas for ending a six-month cease-fire, are alienated; and the more regional instability is fueled.

It will also make it harder for President-elect Barack Obama to pick up the pieces of peacemaking when he takes office on Jan. 20.

Yes, job #1 for Israel is to make things easier for President Obama to make peace. actually job #1 is to protect its citizens from terror attacks. And I suspect that Hamas’s popularity actually declines when its leaders are shown to be cowards. Question: when Israelis are subject to rocket attacks is “regional instability fueled”?

The Times also has another concern:

Israel must immediately allow foreign journalists access to Gaza, as the Israeli high court ruled on Dec. 31. As in every war zone, reporting by journalists — and human rights monitors as well — can discourage abuse and is essential to full public understanding of the conflict.

Where have these journalists been as Hamas has built up its arsenal over the past three years? There are practical reasons too for not allowing journalists in. But the Times’s concern for journalistic oversight seems a bit late. (h/t Backspin)

There is little chance of restraining Hamas without dealing with its patrons in Syria and Iran. Mr. Obama will also have to move quickly to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza need to see that there is another way out of their misery and that Hamas and its rockets are not the answer.

Actually maybe the editors of the Times just need to read Richard Cohen.

Crossposted on Soccer Dad.