Dhaka, July 31 -- The war in Gaza, with all its horrors, is approaching the end of its second year, making it the longest and deadliest confrontation in the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Why has the Gaza war lasted this long?Some believe that Israel fears for the remaining hostages. Others think it wants to avoid further losses among its troops. And some see it as incapable of eliminating what remains of Hamas.

In my opinion, Israel does not want to end the war except on its own terms - by preventing the return of the Palestinian Authority to rule the Gaza Strip. To prolong the crisis, it will use whatever weapons it has left, from starvation to displacement. In short, what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fears most is the est...