“Does this mean that when a halt is called to negotitate [whatever] with “Hamas,” that Israel is only in negotiations with whomever rules a particular neighborhood and that whatever agreement is reached only extends into that chief’s little fief?”
According to my understanding of Islam, yes. Islam does not allow for anything we’d recognize as a state or government, or a competing legal framework. It’s a derivative of the tribal environment. It’s ruled by an Imam. An Imam collects followers. He’s the legislative and the legal system. The more followers the more consequential. Osama Bin Laden, for example. But he gets his power from supplying whatever someone needs. No supply, no power. This is why governments are dumping buckets of cash on their chosen leaders, so they can gain influence and the bucket of cash donors therefore have some influence. Except, it’s like putting out a fire by throwing kerosene on it. They do this because the alternative, wiping out the cancer, is too unappealing. Yeah, those cute little kids will be raised up to murder your cute little kids. But killing them would get five million views on the internet and you’d go to prison. They’d put you in a cell with Feud.
“Tribes with flags” as I’ve read that encapsulated sometimes. You’ve enlightened my understanding of the situation much further. Many thanks!