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To save himself, Netanyahu is going to war with Gaza
November 15, 2019
November 15, 2019
Even as Israel becomes chronically unable to form a government, the ‘Gaza consensus’ — the endless pounding of the strip into oblivion — persists. It could tip the scales in Netanyahu’s favor.
There is no military solution in Gaza. But Israel’s leaders, who are too much at loggerheads to sit in a government together, are somehow able to agree that when it comes to maintaining Israel’s 12-year siege, there is only room for violent tinkering. That violence was on full display early Tuesday morning, when Israel assassinated Islamic Jihad commander Baha Abu al-Ata in his Gaza home while he slept; the projectile also killed his wife and wounded his four children. Meanwhile, the son of another Islamic Jihad leader was killed in a separate strike, widely attributed to Israel, in Damascus overnight. Prime Minister Netanyahu said the targeted assassination of Abu al-Ata, which Israel refers to as a “surgical strike,” was a necessary pre-emptive measure to stop what he termed a “ticking time bomb.”
The Israeli army rarely takes credit for initiating a military confrontation with Gaza. Usually, the political and defense establishments pin the blame on Palestinian terror groups for firing rockets indiscriminately into Israeli territory. Israel, according to its own narrative, retaliates only when provoked. Islamic Jihad militants responded to Abu al-Ata’s assassination by firing over 190 rockets into southern and central Israel, paralyzing nearly half the country. The Israeli Air Force launched attacks on what it said were a number of Islamic Jihad targets, killing at least six Palestinians and wounding 30. As of this writing, Hamas and Islamic Jihad announced that the “real response” to Abu al-Ata’s killing had yet to begin. Israeli commentators were quick to point out that Abu al-Ata’s assassination was reminiscent of that of Ahmed Jabari, the former second-in-command of Hamas’ armed wing who was killed by Israel seven years ago this week. Jabari’s killing was also followed by rocket attacks, which precipitated Operation Pillar of Defense. More than 100 Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers were killed in that military operation. Read more ...
A 'rocket' hits a factory in Israel, but the only damage is a car parked outside. And again no one even injured.
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