Quote:
| the fact that they're both elected leaders tells me that both populations are scared shitless more than angry |
I suspect it's a little of both -- mixed in with ignorance and mis-information. What I was suggesting was that both sides felt that the more extreme leadership was more capable of protecting them. Neither side trust the other, so they want a strong leadership to protect them. Is fear the underlying motivation? I'm sure it's a factor, but I don't know how much of one.
Something I forgot to mention was that in the early 90s, Arafat denounced terrorism (for which he jointly received a Nobel Peace Prize). There are mixed opinions about whether he really meant it or not. I genuinely don't know the answer to this. I strongly suspect he knows a lot more than he lets on about terrorist activities, but just how much he knows and how he uses his influence is largely speculative. In private, he may be trying behind the scenes to tone down Hamas, and without him there the violence could be a lot worse. Alternatively, he could be presenting his public face against terrorism, while privately supporting Hamas in one way or another. We simply do not know.
Oh, and on the control of the IDF -- I don't think it's perfect control, but I think their control over the IDF would be much stronger than Arafat's control over Hamas. The main problem Israel would face would be the settlers in the Occupied Territories. They are generally highly conservative, highly militant and highly anti-Palestinian.