Nowhere in the press have I read a plausible explanation of Israel's long term goals. Israel acquired Gaza and the West Bank in the Six Day War. Far-right Israelis opposed the Oslo Accords, and Rabin was assassinated in 1995 by a right-wing Israeli extremist for signing them and the process ended after the failure of the Camp David Summit in 2000 and the outbreak of the Second Intifada. Israel cannot annex and incorporate the conquered territories into Israel because that would have given the Palestinians a majority in what purports to be a democracy. So stalemate. No solutions. Gaza is made into a prison. Freedoms in the West Bank are curtailed. Walls are built. Israel seeks to increase immigration and exclude any Palestinian immigration. Israel's encirclement of Gaza and continued settlements into the West Bank creates a pressure cooker. On Oct 6th the dam breaks. Palestinians vent their fury by horrific acts and that gives the Israeli authorities the excuse to bombard and kill in the name of a just cause. Israel knew it was coming. They were prepared. Likud's aim of establishing a Greater Judea is one step nearer.