The fallout from Israel's War on Gaza: A turning point in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?

In this article I argue that the Israeli War against Gaza of December 2008-January 2009 marked a historical crossroad in the annals of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. The article examines four arguments: first, the war as a test for the Israeli post-Oslo strategy: Israel believed that the Palestinian Bantustans should behave as 'protectorate regimes', otherwise they would be under massive Israeli attack. Second, the war as the second 'open confrontation' that was a result of Israel's loss of its historical military deterrence. Third, some of the Arab states, including the 'protectorate regime' in Ramallah are part of the Israeli (and American) alliance against what is considered as the 'rejectionist regimes'. Forth, the war in Gaza is the formal beginning of the end of the PLO as the 'sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people'.