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Analysis: Israelis Press on in Gaza

Council on Foreign Relations

Updated: June 29, 2006
Prepared by: Michael Moran

Israeli forces arrested dozens of Hamas cabinet ministers and lawmakers (Guardian) on Thursday as they broadened their operation from the Gaza Strip into the West Bank. The Jerusalem Post quotes an army source saying the operation is part of a "pressure pot" tactic to force the Palestinians to release the Israeli kidnapped over the weekend, and to curb the Palestinian launching of Qassam rockets into Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says Israel will not balk at "extreme action," but does not intend to stay in Gaza (Haaretz). Israeli planes also buzzed over the country palace (Reuters) of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in an apparent warning against supporting Damascus-based Hamas leaders involved in the kidnapping.

As Israel mustered its strike force Tuesday, the Hamas-led Palestinian government and the once-dominant Fatah faction neared agreement (BosGlobe) on a way to bridge their differences over the recognition of Israel. Hamas, whose charter pledges Israel's destruction, so far denies any implicit recognition was on the table (al-Jazeera). Yet officials of both Palestinian factions said the Israeli incursion has helped to narrow the differences between them on the so-called "prisoners letter," which among other things recognizes Israel's right to exist in its pre-1967 borders (CSMonitor).

With Israeli troops now inside Gaza (NPR), however, the future of the initiative is uncertain. CFR fellow Henry Siegman tells CFR.org's Bernard Gwertzman that the results of the raid could seriously impact the governments of both Israel and the Palestinian Authority. The Israeli incursion comes after members of Hamas' military wing launched a cross-border raid on June 25, killing two Israeli soldiers and capturing one (CSMonitor).

Read the rest of this article on the cfr.org website.

Copyright 2006 by the Council on Foreign Relations. This material is republished on GlobalSecurity.org with specific permission from the cfr.org. Reprint and republication queries for this article should be directed to cfr.org.