Amos Oz:

…Hamas is not just a terrorist organization. Hamas is an idea, a desperate and fanatical idea that grew out of the desolation and frustration of many Palestinians. No idea has ever been defeated by force — not by siege, not by bombardment, not by being flattened with tank treads and not by marine commandos. To defeat an idea, you have to offer a better idea, a more attractive and acceptable one.

Thus, the only way for Israel to edge out Hamas would be to quickly reach an agreement with the Palestinians on the establishment of an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip as defined by the 1967 borders, with its capital in East Jerusalem. 

During my travels in South America, and seeing the worship of Che Guevara, I recognized the same phenomenon. Who Guevara actually was, or what he actually did, is immaterial. It's Guevara the idea, the idea of sacrificing for something greater than yourself, the idea of freedom-- this is what draws people to him.

Oz goes on to say that Israel should get ahead of events and hand over the West Bank to Fatah. From there, it can put pressure on Hamas to sign an agreement for Gaza. That'd be some strategic thinking, wouldn't it? 

But then there are the settlers....