JERUSALEM —There is no sign on the horizon that we can might one day close the book on the Israel-Palestinian conflict. 

            Substantial Israeli forces are operating in Gaza. They are trying to neutralize Palestinian capacity to manufacture and fire rockets at Israeli settlements, seeking to limit the freedom of movement for those who may hold, hopefully alive, an Israeli prisoner, and doing what they can to weaken the regime of Hamas. Already a substantial number of its ministers are in Israeli custody. Smaller units are picking off individual targets in the cities and towns of the West Bank . Crude rockets continue to fall on Israeli towns close to Gaza . Despite Egyptian claims to be responsible for its border with Gaza, a lot of weaponry has come over that border.

            Quiet, rather than final victory is the goal. We would like the Palestinians to develop a regime that would reach a settlement of the conflict, but that is not apparent. Palestine is yet to emerge as a national entity, where a central authority has the will or the power to control factions that have the desire and the resources to continue the conflict. Involved in the problem are the rivalries between individuals, localities, and families, as well as the intensity of national and religious commitments, reinforced by regimes in Syria and Iran that provide resources and encouragement.

            Israel is a convenient target for them all. It is the prominent foreign element in a region that Arabs and Muslims want as their own. It is allied to the supreme enemy, centered in Washington.There is an ample collection of anti-Jewish stories, caricatures, slogans, and symbols that make it easy to focus on us as the source of all evil.

            Despite the constraints, we hope to wear down those who want to hurt us, destroy their armaments and limit their capacity to re-arm, and expand a willingness among them to desist.

            We invest heavily in protecting ourselves, by requiring security at public facilities, building a barrier and operating roadblocks, and thickening the roofs of buildings exposed to crude rockets.

            Israel seeks quiet by going after those who are disturbing it. It uses a small amount of its military power in order to minimize civilian damage. It is tempting to level the neighborhoods that serve as the source of rocket attacks or the refuge of fighters, but we have avoided that as a strategy. The tactics of individual operations, including this one, may render individual neighborhoods uninhabitable.

            Restraint may serve Israel in the long run. It avoids serious international condemnation, as well as confrontation with Jewish norms that place a premium on human life. It holds open the possibility that a substantial portion of Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslims will notice the restraint, and see it as a reason to think about accommodation. Sadly, the damage to life and property that is inherent even in a modest policy of defense adds to the antagonism. Each military operation, no matter how justified, contributes to anger and intensity, and the willingness to die for the sake of Palestine .

            Viewed in an international context, this seems an archetypal conflict with the kind of terror currently prominent. Having a substantial element of Islamic motivation, it is a terror that finds substantial support from civilians and an international community. Some members of that community share in the motivation to eliminate Israel . Others seem to pay lip service out of concern for the fashions of the politically correct, and perhaps to buy quiet for themselves.

            We take solace in our successes. The rate of our casualties is a fraction of what it was four years ago. The economy has revived, due partly to an increases in foreign investment and tourism. We enjoy a decent standard of living despite the tensions and the chronic threat. We have left Palestine with little more than hate. I fear that will continue until enough Palestinians conclude that they have failed in their aspirations.