# Why won't Israel just defeat Palestine militarily? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 9, 2014, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-israel-just-defeat-palestine-militarily/685758 "2014-04-09T22:09:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![IMfez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f07891/32.png) [@IMfez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IMfez)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-israel-just-defeat-palestine-militarily/685758/1 "2014-04-09T22:09:43Z")
Israel has overwhelming military dominance against Palestine, and all its possible allies. Additionally it is the most unpopular nation in the region, not even being recognized by many surrounding states. Israel also has a tight relationship with the United States, the most powerful country in the world. To me all of these ingredients add up to a strong case for victory over Palestine through the use of military force, so my question is why has Israel chosen not to pursue this route? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-israel-just-defeat-palestine-militarily/685758/2 "2014-04-09T22:17:10Z")
Are you aware of how Israel got that land in the first place? Occupying an area is usually what you do after you’ve already beaten another country militarily. And the Palestinians don’t have a regular army anyway- that’s why you see occasional acts of terrorism. That’s how asymmetric war works. What else do you think Israel should do? ---
**Author:** ![JerrySTL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e274bd/32.png) [@JerrySTL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerrySTL)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-israel-just-defeat-palestine-militarily/685758/3 "2014-04-09T22:17:25Z")
World opinion would probably be very negative after they kill off about 33% of the general population. Also while Israel is very busy fighting in Palestine, their other enemies might just take advantage of the situation. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-israel-just-defeat-palestine-militarily/685758/4 "2014-04-09T22:19:26Z")
What more do you expect a military attack to do? ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-israel-just-defeat-palestine-militarily/685758/5 "2014-04-09T22:19:28Z")
Err…they did. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Quatro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bc8723/32.png) [@Mr\_Quatro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Quatro)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-israel-just-defeat-palestine-militarily/685758/6 "2014-04-09T23:26:35Z")
God told King Saul to defeat them back in the old days of Israel, but he refused the orders of God to kill every man woman and child and animal of the Philistines by saving their sheep and oxen and King and some of their people to be used for slaves and now they call themselves Palestinians a modern day derivative of the word Philistine. God then took the Kingdom from Saul and gave it to David: [http://sundayschoolsources.com/lessons/OT/unitedkingdom/Saul\_text.htm](http://sundayschoolsources.com/lessons/OT/unitedkingdom/Saul_text.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-israel-just-defeat-palestine-militarily/685758/7 "2014-04-09T23:40:52Z")
> [@Mr\_Quatro](#): > > God told King Saul to defeat them back in the old days of Israel, but he refused the orders of God to kill every man woman and child and animal of the Philistines by saving their sheep and oxen and King and some of their people to be used for slaves and now they call themselves Palestinians a modern day derivative of the word Philistine. > > God then took the Kingdom from Saul and gave it to David: [http://sundayschoolsources.com/lessons/OT/unitedkingdom/Saul\_text.htm](http://sundayschoolsources.com/lessons/OT/unitedkingdom/Saul_text.htm) We sure are lucky that the one true God happened to be a loving father, and not a mass-murdering fuckhead. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-israel-just-defeat-palestine-militarily/685758/8 "2014-04-09T23:56:31Z")
> [@IMfez](#): > > To me all of these ingredients add up to a strong case for victory over Palestine through the use of military force, so my question is why has Israel chosen not to pursue this route? Are you kidding or just unaware of history? They already defeated Palestine and all its allies militarily. This is the situation they ended up with. Unless they engage in genocide or ethnic cleansing (evicting all Arabs from Israel and the Occupied Territories) they are always going to have some people engaged in opposing them. These are solutions that would be unpalatable to most Jews considering their own history. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-israel-just-defeat-palestine-militarily/685758/9 "2014-04-10T00:09:20Z")
> [@IMfez](#): > > Israel has overwhelming military dominance against Palestine, and all its possible allies. Additionally it is the most unpopular nation in the region, not even being recognized by many surrounding states. Israel also has a tight relationship with the United States, the most powerful country in the world. > > To me all of these ingredients add up to a strong case for victory over Palestine through the use of military force, so my question is why has Israel chosen not to pursue this route? Genocide is generally considered to be a bad thing, and I should imagine that Israelis, of all people, are particularly sensitive to that. I am not sure what “it” refers to in your second sentence, but in the Middle East (and throughout the Muslim world) it is Israel that is very unpopular, and there is much sympathy for the Palestinians, and much revulsion at the way they have been treated by Israel, in most of the non-Muslim world too. It is really only in the United States (thanks to a very one-sided reporting in the U.S. media) that Israel is widely regarded as being the “good guy” in the situation. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-israel-just-defeat-palestine-militarily/685758/10 "2014-04-10T09:56:06Z")
I’ve often wondered why we don’t just annihilate the Canadians militarily. We certainly have the military capability to do so, being the most powerful nation on Earth, if not the universe. Additionally, it’s not a very popular country… I mean, who writes down “Canada” as a place they’d like to visit? No one except the most ardent walleye fisherman. So why haven’t we chosen this route? Eh? ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-israel-just-defeat-palestine-militarily/685758/11 "2014-04-10T12:33:04Z")
Mr. Quatro: > [@](#): > > God told King Saul to defeat them back in the old days of Israel, but he refused the orders of God to kill every man woman and child and animal of the Philistines by saving their sheep and oxen and King and some of their people to be used for slaves and now they call themselves Palestinians a modern day derivative of the word Philistine. That was the Amalekites that G-d told Saul to wipe out. There was never any commandment from G-d to the Jews to wipe out the Philistines. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-israel-just-defeat-palestine-militarily/685758/12 "2014-04-10T12:54:11Z")
What everybody else said, plus, there are lots and lots of fanatics among the Palestinians. It’s not a matter of rolling tanks, and they’d all meekly stop it with the bus bombs. Pretty much, the Israeli army would have to kill all of them, including civilians, and violate Geneva conventions left and right, or it wouldn’t do any good, while the Palestinians would continue to do anything the could, including sabotaging military bases, if they could manage it. Unpalatable indeed. Besides, most American Jews talk about reconciliation, because they have no idea what’s really going on, nor how determined and hate-filled the Palestinians are. The propaganda there is a thing to behold. Check out Hamas TV on youtube. The US would not support a war, I don’t think. ---
**Author:** ![JerrySTL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e274bd/32.png) [@JerrySTL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerrySTL)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-israel-just-defeat-palestine-militarily/685758/13 "2014-04-10T12:55:58Z")
> [@PunditLisa](#): > > I’ve often wondered why we don’t just annihilate the Canadians militarily. We certainly have the military capability to do so, being the most powerful nation on Earth, if not the universe. Additionally, it’s not a very popular country… I mean, who writes down “Canada” as a place they’d like to visit? No one except the most ardent walleye fisherman. > > So why haven’t we chosen this route? Eh? The USA needs someone easy to beat in hockey. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-israel-just-defeat-palestine-militarily/685758/14 "2014-04-10T13:02:14Z")
double post ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-israel-just-defeat-palestine-militarily/685758/15 "2014-04-10T13:54:58Z")
> [@cmkeller](#): > > Mr. Quatro: > > That was the Amalekites that G-d told Saul to wipe out. There was never any commandment from G-d to the Jews to wipe out the Philistines. Also, there is no connection between the Philistines and the Palestinians (beyond the fact that everyone in the Middle East is related to everyone else). The Roman Empire renamed the Province of Judea “Palestine” after the Jews’ long-extinct enemy, the Philistines; the Palestinians are named after the province (and before 1948 the term referred to both Arabs \*and \*Jews). ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Quatro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bc8723/32.png) [@Mr\_Quatro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Quatro)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-israel-just-defeat-palestine-militarily/685758/16 "2014-04-10T16:44:47Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Also, there is no connection between the Philistines and the Palestinians (beyond the fact that everyone in the Middle East is related to everyone else). The Roman Empire renamed the Province of Judea “Palestine” after the Jews’ long-extinct enemy, the Philistines; the Palestinians are named after the province (and before 1948 the term referred to both Arabs \*and \*Jews). I was wrong about King Saul … I’m sorry for bringing him up. You right it was the Amalek’s. > [@](#): > > Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’ " But the Phillstines Israel did hate and now they want the same land known as Palestine. There will be no peace till the Lord comes back. [http://hope-of-israel.org/whopal.html](http://hope-of-israel.org/whopal.html) > [@](#): > > At all events, it is possible to see the Palestinians as representing the Philistines in Biblical terminology for the following reasons: > > 1. It may be that many of them actually are physically descended from the Philistines – some of whom remained in Gaza and neighbouring areas. > > 2. Their name “Palestinian” is derived from the Latin word for Philistine, i.e. they now call themselves, and are called by others, “Palestinian” – meaning Philistine. If in days of yore a Hebrew Prophet had wanted to denote the present-day Palestinians using a familiar name, then he could have chosen no better an appellation than “Philistine.” > > 3. The geographical bases of power, international connections, and general orientation of the “Palestinians” are all similar to those of the ancient Philistines. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-israel-just-defeat-palestine-militarily/685758/17 "2014-04-10T16:56:15Z")
> [@PunditLisa](#): > > I’ve often wondered why we don’t just annihilate the Canadians militarily. We certainly have the military capability to do so, being the most powerful nation on Earth, if not the universe. Additionally, it’s not a very popular country… I mean, who writes down “Canada” as a place they’d like to visit? No one except the most ardent walleye fisherman. > > So why haven’t we chosen this route? Eh? Deporting Justin Beiber back home would be more effective. ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-israel-just-defeat-palestine-militarily/685758/18 "2014-04-10T16:56:26Z")
> [@Mr\_Quatro](#): > > There will be no peace till the Lord comes back. Oh. Thanks for clearing that up. When can we pencil him in for? ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-israel-just-defeat-palestine-militarily/685758/19 "2014-04-10T17:14:18Z")
> [@Erdosain](#): > > Oh. Thanks for clearing that up. When can we pencil him in for? Nobody knows - not the angels in heaven, nor even the Son, but the Father only. (Matt 24:36 and Mark 13:32). Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-israel-just-defeat-palestine-militarily/685758/20 "2014-04-10T18:09:39Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > Deporting Justin Beiber back home would be more effective. Dayum! Jumping right to the nuclear option! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-israel-just-defeat-palestine-militarily/685758.md?page=2)