Bret Stephens analyzes the four-corner friction in Gaza (Hamas/Iran/Syria, Fatah, Egypt, Israel), that looks likely to herald a full scale clash before long. The only question is who will be participating.
I will note here that those who predicted the emergence of Gaza as a terrorist fortress following Israeli withdrawal have been proven correct. How the coming drama unfolds, and finishes, will determine whether the pullout turns out to be a wise strategy, or a costly mistake. Those looking for the best available summary of Israel's plan can find it here. At the same time, one is reminded that nothing ever goes 100% to plan when dealing with human beings.
"...will determine whether the pullout turns out to be a wise strategy, or a costly mistake."
Since this is a war to the finish (though no one, for a variety of reasons, wishes to address it as such), the above formulation is really a non-sequitur.
The more astute question ought to be, "Will this pullout serve to avert Israel's destruction or not?"
However, this too is not an entirely accurate formulation, since the Palestinians and their friends believe that nothing that Israel can do will avert Israel's destruction.
They believe that with enough pressure applied and for long enough (that is as long as it takes), Israel will topple.
And they believe that while the Palestinians and their friends can and will ultimately bring about Israel's disappearance, Israel cannot (i.e., will not, or will not be allowed to)destroy the Palestinians.
And even should Israel, in fact, decide (if reluctantly) that it has no choice but to destroy the Palestinians, this too will be perceived as a great Palestinian victory, for it will (such is the perception) bring about Israel's ultimate demise.
And Israel's demise is the ultimate---the glorious---goal, for which no price is too high.
(To be sure, there will be the obligatory whining about Palestinian suffering, which itself is one of the main weapons aimed at the heart of the Zionist Entity and as such will not be relinquished, even while using it to bludgeon the conscience of the world).
All this being merely another version of "damned if you do, damned if you don't" reality of the Middle East, at least as Israel is concerned---and as the US and its allies (those that are left, at least) have begun to discover (though Walt and Mearsheimer have a supposedly easy solution to that conundrum---even it if the same oh-so-obvious strategy didn't exactly work out as planned when implemented by the British, the French or the Soviets....).
All this while the Iranians and their friends scurry about in the wings, salivating at the opportunity to make Israel disappear---and if such an opportunity results in turning Palestinians into shaheeds, welcome, therefore to Paradise.
Such is the exquisite beauty of Arafat's (and his minions') strategy that no one wishes to see.
Barry's formulation of Palestinian/Islamic strategy & goals is correct.
If the Palestinians wind up fenced in and destroying one another until they are utterly weary of war in any form, it will certainly help. Will that be the outcome? This is what remains toi be seen, and why it's too early to evaluate the Israeli strategy.