The dire situation along Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip grew far worse last week as Hamas bombarded Sderot and Ashkelon with a deadly barrage of rockets and mortars.
During the course of these indiscriminate bombardments, which may rightly be described as war crimes, a man in Sderot was killed, bringing to 14 the number of Israeli civilians killed by these projectiles since 2001. Sderot, located one kilometre from Gaza, has borne the brunt of these attacks. But in an ominous and unprecedented development, six of the rockets struck residential neighbourhoods in Ashkelon, 17 kilometres away, and one of the rockets, for the first time, scored a direct hit on a house there. Israel believes that these rockets were made in Iran and smuggled into Gaza via Egypt. In the face of this aggression, Israel retaliated, and unfortunately, several Palestinian civilians were killed in the crossfire. Hamas – which seized control of Gaza from Fatah last summer – is to blame for their deaths.
As it considers what to do next, Israel basically has four options at its disposal. Israel can put up with the blood-soaked status quo by enduring further casualties and challenges to its sovereignty and by launching more reprisal raids and continuing its blockade of Gaza until Hamas recognizes its existence and renounces terrorism. Few Israelis can tolerate that. Alternatively, Israel could launch a major ground offensive. Defence Minister Ehud Barak has warned that this is a “real and tangible” possibility. But such an operation would be costly in terms of lives and perhaps force Israel to re-occupy all or parts of Gaza, an unpalatable solution. Barring an invasion, Israel could agree to a long-term ceasefire with Hamas, but previous hudnas have broken down. Still, it’s worth recalling that Israel and Hezbollah laid down their arms in a United Nations truce that ended the Second Lebanon War in 2006. As a last resort, Israel might agree to the presence of an international peacekeeping force in Gaza. It just might work, as it has so far in Lebanon and on the Golan Heights. Certainly, a diplomatic solution would be preferable to all out war.
– S.K.