as ▁in ▁Gaz a . ▁A ▁ 4 5 ▁million ▁dummy ▁Arab ic ▁city ▁built ▁in ▁the ▁Neg ev ▁desert ▁in ▁ 2 0 0 4 ▁was ▁used ▁as ▁a ▁testing ▁ground ▁for ▁a ▁proposed ▁attack ▁on ▁the ▁St rip . ▁Ham as ▁respond ed ▁to ▁Israel ' s ▁economic ▁block ade ▁and ▁other ▁provoc ations ▁with ▁miss ile ▁attacks ▁on ▁S der ot ▁and ▁other ▁nearby ▁cities ▁giving ▁the ▁Isra eli ▁authority ▁pre text ▁for ▁the ▁use ▁of ▁force ▁in ▁Operation ▁First ▁Rain . ▁Fr ustration ▁over ▁the ▁failed ▁ 2 0 0 6 ▁Leb anon ▁War , ▁lack ▁of ▁a ▁political ▁strategy ▁for ▁dealing ▁with ▁Gaz a ▁and ▁the ▁pre text ▁offered ▁by ▁the ▁Ham as ▁capture ▁of ▁Isra eli ▁Def ense ▁Force ▁Serge ant ▁Gil ad ▁Sh al it ▁resulted ▁in ▁an ▁es cal ation ▁of ▁these ▁attacks ▁with ▁Operation ▁Summer ▁R ains ▁and ▁Operation ▁Aut umn ▁Cloud s , ▁which ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁bomb ard ment ▁saw ▁ground ▁forces ▁deployed ▁in ▁the ▁St rip . ▁This ▁policy ▁of ▁asym metric ▁war fare ▁in ▁an ▁urban ▁setting ▁became ▁the ▁D ah iy ya ▁Do ctrine ▁and ▁resulted ▁in ▁Operation ▁Cast ▁Le ad ▁described ▁by ▁some ▁comment ators ▁as ▁gen o cide . ▁ ▁A ▁Middle ▁East ▁Peace ▁That ▁Could ▁H appen ▁( But ▁W on ' t ) ▁In ▁this ▁re vised ▁ex cer pt ▁from ▁Hop es ▁& ▁Pro spect s ▁( H ay market ▁Books , ▁ 2 0 1 0 ), ▁first ▁published ▁by ▁Tom Dispatch ,