timschochet
Footballguy
Benjamin Netanyahu rejects Obama's call for a ceasefire:
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/tomrogan/100279294/israel-gaza-conflict-netanyahus-strategy/
Israeli military operations against Hamas are expanding. The IDF has now attacked hundreds of rocket launch platforms and many Hamas command facilities. Thousands of IDF infantry reserves have been mobilised. Special Forces are raiding targets in Gaza. A major ground offensive is being contemplated.
Benjamin Netanyahu's rhetoric is unyielding.
Last week, the Prime Minister's spokesman told the BBC that Israel would seek to "dismantle Hamas's military machine. We don't want to have some sort of band-aid solution whereby we have a quick fix, a ceasefire and then we only have rockets on Israeli citizens next week."
That's a major change from the opening days of the conflict when Netanyahu called for de-escalation. Today, President Obama's call for a ceasefire is going unanswered.
Why is Israel escalating?
A number of reasons.
First off, Israeli domestic politics. As attacks from Gaza continued, Israeli security assessments changed. Israeli retaliation was always likely, but when Israel's hard-line foreign minister withdrew his support for Netanyahu's government, Hamas didn't notice. Instead, the group fired more advanced rockets deep into Israel. Those rockets were an unambiguous challenge to Netanyahu's credibility and pressured him to respond aggressively. Had he not done so, Naftali Bennett's Jewish Homeparty might have withdrawn its support. Now, with Hamas desperately attempting suicide operations (watch this Hamas suicide cell infiltrate via sea), Israel has seized the military initiative.
srael's escalation is also a consequence of its military confidence. Encouraged by IDF tactical developments, intransigence from Hamas and Islamic Jihad simplified Netanyahu's decision to take tougher action. The IDF is in a far better position to counter Hamas tactical-manoeuvre advantages on the ground.
Still, this isn't just about Israel's confrontation of Hamas military power. It's also about pressuring Palestinian political blocs. Opposed to the Hamas unity government with Fatah, Israel is using force in an effort to reduce Hamas power. From the Israeli perspective, where Fatah is seen as a potential diplomatic partner, Hamas is viewed as irreconcilable to peace. Thus, Netanyahu wants President Abbas to understand that Hamas will cause him pain if he sides with them. Of course, there is political risk for Israel. As my housemate and counter-terrorism expert, Matthew Tobin, told me, "Further degradation of Hamas's facilities risks accelerating the fragmentation of power in Gaza while doing little to dissuade the splinter groups increasingly behind rocket strikes into Israel."
As I noted in my last piece, Netanyahu's strategy is also focused on the broader Middle East. Concerned by the chaos in Syria and Iraq, and skeptical of the west's nuclear diplomacy with Iran, Netanyahu wants to broadcast his military confidence and competence. Finally, while Netanyahu is aware of the growing international condemnation, now that his operation is underway, he's decided to pursue a strategic victory: he intends to seriously degrade Hamas military-political power and deter future rocket strikes.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/tomrogan/100279294/israel-gaza-conflict-netanyahus-strategy/
Israeli military operations against Hamas are expanding. The IDF has now attacked hundreds of rocket launch platforms and many Hamas command facilities. Thousands of IDF infantry reserves have been mobilised. Special Forces are raiding targets in Gaza. A major ground offensive is being contemplated.
Benjamin Netanyahu's rhetoric is unyielding.
Last week, the Prime Minister's spokesman told the BBC that Israel would seek to "dismantle Hamas's military machine. We don't want to have some sort of band-aid solution whereby we have a quick fix, a ceasefire and then we only have rockets on Israeli citizens next week."
That's a major change from the opening days of the conflict when Netanyahu called for de-escalation. Today, President Obama's call for a ceasefire is going unanswered.
Why is Israel escalating?
A number of reasons.
First off, Israeli domestic politics. As attacks from Gaza continued, Israeli security assessments changed. Israeli retaliation was always likely, but when Israel's hard-line foreign minister withdrew his support for Netanyahu's government, Hamas didn't notice. Instead, the group fired more advanced rockets deep into Israel. Those rockets were an unambiguous challenge to Netanyahu's credibility and pressured him to respond aggressively. Had he not done so, Naftali Bennett's Jewish Homeparty might have withdrawn its support. Now, with Hamas desperately attempting suicide operations (watch this Hamas suicide cell infiltrate via sea), Israel has seized the military initiative.
srael's escalation is also a consequence of its military confidence. Encouraged by IDF tactical developments, intransigence from Hamas and Islamic Jihad simplified Netanyahu's decision to take tougher action. The IDF is in a far better position to counter Hamas tactical-manoeuvre advantages on the ground.
Still, this isn't just about Israel's confrontation of Hamas military power. It's also about pressuring Palestinian political blocs. Opposed to the Hamas unity government with Fatah, Israel is using force in an effort to reduce Hamas power. From the Israeli perspective, where Fatah is seen as a potential diplomatic partner, Hamas is viewed as irreconcilable to peace. Thus, Netanyahu wants President Abbas to understand that Hamas will cause him pain if he sides with them. Of course, there is political risk for Israel. As my housemate and counter-terrorism expert, Matthew Tobin, told me, "Further degradation of Hamas's facilities risks accelerating the fragmentation of power in Gaza while doing little to dissuade the splinter groups increasingly behind rocket strikes into Israel."
As I noted in my last piece, Netanyahu's strategy is also focused on the broader Middle East. Concerned by the chaos in Syria and Iraq, and skeptical of the west's nuclear diplomacy with Iran, Netanyahu wants to broadcast his military confidence and competence. Finally, while Netanyahu is aware of the growing international condemnation, now that his operation is underway, he's decided to pursue a strategic victory: he intends to seriously degrade Hamas military-political power and deter future rocket strikes.
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