Hizbullah claimed victory, and a tense ceasefire took hold on the northern border.
98 In order to restore to the Israeli army its honor and power of deterrence, the Israeli government, in December, 2008, launched the "Cast Lead" operation against the Gaza Strip. The unofficial war aim was to overthrow the Hamas regime in the strip by exerting massive pressure on the civilian population. The narratives parted again: most Israelis believed that the war ended in an Israeli victory, while most Palestinians were convinced that victory was theirs, since the handful of Hamas fighters had held out against the Israeli army. Hamas was left in control of the Strip and the blockade became even stricter. As on the northern border, a tense quiet took hold. In the Gaza War, as in Lebanon War II, the "Zioist Left" supported the war in the beginning but changed its stance towards their end. "Gush Shalom" and its partners in the consistent peace camp demonstrated against both wars right from their start.
99 The Gaza War ("Cast Lead") had a devastating impact on Israel's standing in the world.The UN appointed an investigation committee headed by the Jewish judge Richard Goldstone, whose report accused Israel - and also Hamas - of war crimes.
100 The Gaza War did not change the decision of successive Israeli governments to reject any talks with Hamas, much as they had in the past rejected dialogue with the PLO. Hamas refused to recognize Israel or to sign a peace agreement with it, but announced that it would accept an agreement based on the Two State Solution, along the 1967 borders, if the agreement were to be confirmed by the Palestinian people in a referendum or a decision of the Palestinian parliament. In Israel, voices were heard that proposed talking with Hamas, since it is an integral part of Palestinian reality.According to this view, Israeli interests demand the restoration of Palestinian unity, contrary to the "divide and rule" policy of the Israeli government.
101 In November, 2008, Barack Obama was elected President of the US and immediately changed
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