Last update - 00:00 20/05/2007
ANALYSIS: Gaza violence not over for Israel or Palestinians
By Avi Issacharoff and Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondents
There was a partial and probably temporary lull in fighting between Palestinians in Gaza during the weekend. Rocket firing at Israel also eased, as the air force continued hitting Hamas targets.
Today the cabinet will debate whether to carry on with the campaign or to discontinue it, in response to its success in deterring Hamas from firing. The prime minister, defense minister, chief of staff and Shin Bet head all agree that Israel should refrain from a large military operation in Gaza. At the moment, there is not sufficient public support for such a move and the government is not stable or confident enough to carry it out. Besides, it would take months to make a fundamental change in the situation in Gaza.
The interim solution is therefore the massive use of the air force against the Qassam launching units and Hamas headquarters.
As long as the air force makes no mistakes and the IDF refrains from irresponsible operation of artillery batteries (as it did six months ago, causing the massacre of 20 civilians in Beit Hanoun), international criticism is expected to be minor.
The present move is supposed to resume continuous pressure on Hamas, which has strengthened during the cease-fire. The IDF recommends continuing the air strikes, regardless of whether Hamas stops shooting, instead of resorting to a pattern of responding to rocket fire. At least for now, the General Staff believes that the latest moves have yielded results. The generals, remembering that Israel is still paying compensation for bombing the transformer stations in Gaza last year, object to some ministers' urgings for the destruction of power and water systems in the Strip as revenge on the firing of rockets at Sderot.
After more than 100 Qassam rockets fell in the past week, and half the town's residents have departed, courtesy of a billionaire with political aspirations, the cabinet has no choice but to react. But it cannot agree on what that reaction should be.
The fifth cease-fire in one week between Hamas and Fatah is not expected to last long, and the rocket fire on Israel will not cease as long as the internal war continues.