President Joe Biden said Tuesday Israel’s prime minister needs to change his hardline government and support for the country’s military campaign is waning amid heavy bombardment of Gaza. … “This is the most conservative government in Israel’s history,” Biden said, adding that the Israeli government “doesn’t want a two-state solution.”
It’s mind-blowing how thoroughly Netanyahu has bungled this. They had damn near the entire world in full support after Hamas’ horrific attack on Israeli civilians, and they’ve managed to lose it.
Vietnam and Gaza literally could not be more different places or conflicts.
Explain
Vietnam is first in every comparison, Israel/Hamas second:
Primarily rural and/or jungle environment vs Dense urban environment
Regular army with decades of experience vs fighting a terrorist force
NVA wanted to hold and occupy territory vs Hamas wanting to just kill, with no political objective to defeat them by
Sociopolitical conflict vs religious extremists
Clear divide of combatants vs non-combatants during mass conflict (i.e. not the random insurgent acts) vs confusion of civilian-laced battlefield
Technology of media being extremely limited vs extremely mobile
Local populace that wants the war and supports the stronger force vs populace that either outright hates you or is too oppressed to express support
You got the “jungle” part accurate about Vietnam…
And that media is more mobile these days.
Another big one:
The Americans were fighting the North Vietnamese on Vietnamese soil thousands of miles from home and with no real skin in the game. Also, the North Vietnamese had massive support from other close-by Communist regimes who could feed men and materiel into Vietnam from the north. In contrast, Israel is fighting right on its own border and basically has Hamas surrounded with little possibility of game-changing further aid from outside Gaza.
Those in the West Bank don’t even believe that Hamas did what they did. They vote the attack as a act of defiance and the atrocities committed were just fake news made up by Israel. Sure to Israeli action the oppressed don’t see Hamas as worse.