So What You're Saying Is

The Palestinians are more rational than American college students. 

“There is no doubt support for Hamas is declining in Gaza because more and more people feel it has some responsibility for the pain they are enduring,” said Shikaki.

This sounds like winning: 

Analysts say the absence of Hamas’s powerful internal security force — which has been lying low to avoid Israeli attacks — has opened an unprecedented space for those willing to vent their frustration at the militant group and its leadership. 

The Middle East operates on the principle of the strong horse.