One of the reasons it is so difficult to make peace in the Middle East is that much of the population - including governments - operate on a different plane of reality than the rest of us. After getting pummelled for a week by Israeli planes and missiles, Gazans are celebrating a "victory" over the IDF. Most of their rockets were either shot down by the Iron Dome anti-missile system or fell harmlessly to earth. They lost several high ranking members of Hamas, and their means of hitting Israel with any kind of weapon was seriously degraded. Some victory. Reuters: Despite the death and destruction, many were buoyant, echoing assertions of the Gaza Strip's Islamist Hamas rulers that their rocket salvoes, which reached Tel Aviv and Jerusalem for the first time, had trumped Israel's military might. "Congratulations on your victory," passersby said as they shook hands with Hamas traffic policemen back on the streets after days in hiding to avoid Israeli bombs and missiles. But joy...(Read Full Post)