So, Israel's war on Gaza appears to be over. Which raises the question: what was it all for? What has been gained? And the answer seems to be absolutely nothing. The war has not improved Israel's security one iota - that is simply geographically impossible. Neither has it "destroyed Hamas" - unless you think that giving them a new outrage to appeal to and a new flood of recruits is "destruction". Instead, 1300 people, mostly Palestinian civilians, have been killed and another 4000 or so maimed solely so that Israel's current leaders could look tough in the leadup to an election. Murdering people to win votes is the ultimate in political cynicism, and if it is what Israelis regard as a "just war", then they clearly have no idea what the term actually means.