[R-G] Israel bombs Hamas targets in central Gaza

[Anthony Fenton]

Palestinian sources: IAF bombs Hamas targets in central Gaza
By Amos Harel, Barak Ravid, Avi Issacharoff and Yanir Yagna
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1060801.html

Palestinian sources in the Gaza Strip said late last night that  
Israeli aircraft had bombed Hamas security targets in central Gaza.  
Rafa residents said they received phone calls from the Israel Defense  
Forces warning them to leave their homes immediately.

The news comes as Israel's leadership warned yesterday that the  
response to the rocket attacks from Gaza would be fierce. The  
disagreements between Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Foreign Minister  
Tzipi Livni, on the one hand, and Defense Minister Ehud Barak over an  
"arrangement" with Hamas have intensified.

Olmert and Livni accused Barak yesterday of acting against cabinet  
decisions, and aides to the prime minister said the Labor chief was  
"dragging his feet" on a response to the continued Qassam rocket  
attacks. Livni, meanwhile, warned that Barak is working on a separate,  
second deal, for a cease-fire with Hamas.

Barak rejected all criticism, describing it as "chatter by those who  
have never held a weapon."

Yesterday Israel suffered the heaviest barrage of rocket and mortar  
attacks since a unilateral cease-fire went into effect more than two  
weeks ago. A total of four Qassam rockets and 14 mortars hit the  
western Negev, causing light injuries to two Israeli soldiers and a  
civilian.

Israel did not respond immediately to the attacks from the Gaza Strip,  
but defense sources said that action is expected in the near future  
and "everything will depend on the operational opportunity that  
emerges."

Chief of Military Intelligence Amos Yadlin said yesterday during a  
cabinet briefing that the rocket and mortar attacks were being carried  
out by small Palestinian factions, whom he described as belonging to  
the loose network of "global jihadists."

Military sources said the intelligence suggests that Hamas is trying  
to contain the attacks and is keen on bolstering the cease-fire with  
Israel. Nonetheless, political and military sources in Israel said  
that despite Hamas' efforts, the IDF would take action against the  
Palestinian Islamist group because Israel considers it responsible in  
Gaza.

Rockets rain down

Meanwhile, the residents of Sderot and the communities bordering Gaza  
are finding it difficult to accept the continued rocket fire after  
Operation Lead Cast and argue that the military offensive should have  
been allowed to continue.

"This was entirely expected. If the Qassams continue to reach the  
communities on the Gaza border it means that the army operation was  
redundant, enormously damaged Israel's image internationally but did  
not have any results in ending the attacks on the southern  
communities," said one resident, Ariel Feller.

This view was shared by Segev Kalimian. "We are still waiting for the  
second stage of Cast Lead, and the Qassam rockets and mortars continue  
to fall on our area. And it seems that no one in the government cares  
about us. They are only thinking about their elections next week and  
it looks like we are going to have to wait for more attacks on Ashdod  
and Ashkelon for someone in this country to understand that we need to  
continue with the [military operation]."

The dispute in recent days among the country's ruling troika has  
divided Kadima's top two politicians, Olmert and Livni, from Labor  
chief Barak. The Kadima leaders support a harsher response to the  
rocket attacks - a "disproportional response" - while Barak argues  
that progress in the talks between Egypt and Hamas on a cease-fire  
should be given a chance.

Reports have a deal being signed as early as Thursday in Cairo, and  
the defense minister believes that a more proportionate response to  
the attacks is warranted. Barak has described this as a response that  
will bolster Israeli deterrence and lead to a stable cease-fire,  
avoiding another escalation in the fighting.

"We will respond responsibly and with sound judgment to what is going  
on in Gaza," Barak said.

Barak's position, which is backed by Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi, is  
being criticized by field officers, including some who took an active  
role in Operation Lead Cast.

According to these officers, Israel is not keeping its promises to  
respond harshly against Hamas for every violation of the cease-fire.  
They expressed concern that the lack of a response will dissolve the  
military gains on the ground.

"At this rate, we will need to go back in a ground operation in three  
or four months," one officer said.

The same kind of skepticism was expressed yesterday by sources close  
to Livni who said that "we remember what happened during the past  
lull, when Barak reported to the cabinet that the agreement was  
inevitable, and this should not be repeated."

"We are not certain that today he is actually telling us the whole  
truth about his talks with Egypt," one of the sources added. "We need  
to make a decision at the cabinet and go with that to Egypt."

In parallel with talks between Egypt and Hamas, Israel is holding  
intensive negotiations with the Egyptians. The head of the security- 
political bureau at the Defense Ministry, Amos Gilad, told the chief  
of Egyptian intelligence, Gen. Omar Suleiman, that Israel is rejecting  
the Egypt-Hamas idea of a new cease-fire limited in time. The current  
proposal is for a cease-fire lasting between one and one and a half  
years.

Israel is also rejecting verbal accords with Egypt on the character of  
the response to violations by, including attacks and arms smuggling.

Livni reiterated before the cabinet that she opposed any agreement  
that granted Hamas legitimacy. "I have been fighting for three years  
that the world will not talk with Hamas. Whoever negotiates with Egypt  
to reach an 'arrangement' must understand that this will grant Hamas  
international legitimacy."