Comparisons of Israel's wars against Hezbollah and Hamas

I enjoy making a good comparison as much as the next fellah, but it really grinds my gears [cue grinding sound] when someone constructs a poor comparison. That's why I find comparisons of the outcome of Israel's current attacks to Israel's 2006 war against Hezbollah a bit of a stretch. Why? For one, Hezbollah and Hamas are wildly different organizations with disparate resources. Two, Palestinians (like Arabs) aren't homogeneous and an attack on one isn't the same as an attack on a mass of Arabs.

Hamas and Hezbollah have opposing political and physical geographies. Hezbollah had/has greater sanctuary in a wider area with advantageous terrain. Gaza is a densely populated area, which could work to Hamas' advantage as close quarters combat is arduous and could ground an Israeli assault to a creeping pace. But when it comes to rearming, there is little to no doubt that Hamas will face an uphill struggle, unlike Hezbollah. Egypt won't rearm Hamas and Israel surrounds Gaza's remaining borders. Smuggling will continue but it's doubtful that Israel will permit a wholesale arms bonanza to occur. The porous border with Syria allowed Hezbollah to recharge its armories with little hindrance.

The sinews of Hezbollah's social capital are different from Hamas' even though Hamas controlled Gaza, partially because of Israel's and Egypt's blockade and Hezbollah's long-standing presence in Lebanon and its ability to receive supplies from Syrian and Iranian backers.

So what does this all mean? Unless Hamas is eradicated or ousted--as the Israelis, Americans, and many others hope--Gaza will slowly crawl out of from under this war. But does it mean that the attacks will serve the purpose of opening new negotiations that will provide a "sustainable and durable" peace that won't "return us to the status quo ante"? Not likely, and Condi's 2006 comments will most likely prove as illusory soon as they were then. If Hamas survives, however, it won't be a looming threat with the material wherewithal to attack Israel or defend against Israeli assaults/incursions in the same style as Hezbollah. It's also unlikely that Gazans will take to the streets to end Hamas' control. Maybe it will provide an opening for Obama to swoop in and employ his abilities to initiate a lasting agreement. But I won't hold my breath.