The moment of decision is nigh. In a few days’ time, at most, Israel’s political leadership will have to decide on the continuation of the ground offensive in Gaza.
On day 13 of Operation Cast Lead, which was Thursday, three Israel Defense Forces troops were killed in separate incidents in the Gaza Strip.
In the diplomatic arena, Hamas spurned the Egyptian mediation initiative, while the United Nations Security Council discussed the draft of a resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.
Five days into the ground component of the operation, it is becoming apparent that Hamas has not been defeated. Its men, most of whom had disappeared from sight when the IDF troops entered, are beginning to emerge from their hideouts to plague the forces’ rear flanks.
The IDF is entering one of the offensive’s most dangerous phases. Staying on the ground without progressing creates targets for the enemy to hit. Hamas’ intransigence seems to stem at least in part from the hope that if they draw enough Israeli blood over the following days through a series of consecutive clashes, Israeli public opinion will turn and force the government to order the military to pull out without reaching an agreement.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who visited the headquarters of the regional division deployed along the border with Gaza, said Thursday that the operation has not yet achieved all the goals it was meant to achieve.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who also visited the division and continued down south to visit reservists training at Tze’elim army base, told army officers there that a cease-fire does not seem to be within reach.
Source: By Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff Haaretz
Filed under: Analysis , Analysis, Gaza, Gaza strip, Hamas, Hezbollah, IAF, IDF, Israel, Katyusha Rockets, Middle East, Operation Cast Lead, Palestine, Palestinian Authority, Qassam Rockets, Terror, Terrorism, The Terror Journal, War
