NEVE DEKALIM, the Gaza Strip — Military sources said the General Staff has been urging the government
to
launch a massive air and armored attack on Palestinian insurgency
strongholds before the withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and the expulsion of
its nearly 10,000 Jewish residents. The sources said Palestinian mortar and
missile attacks during the Israeli withdrawal could result in significant
losses for both soldiers and Israeli residents.
But Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, under U.S. pressure, has dismissed the
appeal. Instead, Mofaz and his aides said they would wait for the Israeli
withdrawal operation to begin on Aug. 17 before deciding whether
to strike Palestinian insurgency targets, Middle East Newsline reported.
"If we withdraw from the Gaza Strip without destroying the Palestinian
terrorist infrastructure, we will have handed Hamas and Islamic Jihad a huge
victory that would guarantee greater attacks," an officer said. "But as you
can see, it's not up to us."
"In the case of fire, we will stop the withdrawal and strike a major
blow
in an operation at the division level," Deputy Defense Minister Zev Boim
said.
"In the worst scenario, I believe such an operation of the magnitude of
Operation Defensive Shield would last 10 days to two weeks, enough time to
strike a
massive blow in order to finish with terrorism."
Boim was referring to the 2002 military operation to recapture the West
Bank and eliminate Palestinian insurgency cells. The month-long operation
significantly reduced suicide bombings in Israel.
But military sources doubt whether Mofaz would order such an operation.
They said Mofaz, fearful of U.S. reaction, has rejected appeals from senior
commanders to launch an imminent two-pronged invasion of the Gaza Strip.
Such recommendations were submitted by Southern Command chief Maj. Gen. Dan
Harel and Brig. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, the commander of Israeli forces in the
Gaza Strip.
"The army fears that Palestinian missile and mortar attacks would
produce chaos among our forces and the withdrawal operation either fails or
incurs serious casualties," a military source said. "Not only would it hurt
morale. It would erode our deterrence against the Palestinians and other
enemies."
On late Tuesday, Palestinian gunners fired a Kassam-class short-range
missile from the northern Gaza Strip toward the Israeli city of Sderot. The
missile landed in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun and a Palestinian
youngster was killed and eight others were injured.
Harel and Kochavi were said to have recommended the deployment of three
brigades to carve out safe areas in the northern and central Gaza Strip.
Both zones would be up to seven kilometers wide, large enough to prevent
Palestinian mortars from landing in areas meant for Israeli evacuation. The
zones would
be handed over to the Palestinian Authority following the removal of Israeli
residents from the Gaza Strip.
a
So far, Mofaz and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon have dismissed a military
option. Instead, they have pointed to U.S.-led efforts to ensure that the PA
prevent insurgency attacks, recorded at a rate of up to 100 per week.
The Israel Security Agency reported that July marked the most active
month for the Palestinian insurgency since the end of 2003. The ISA said
Palestinians carried out 436 attacks last month, 142 of them mortar strikes.
a
ISA said 21 Israelis were killed and 238 were injured in the first seven
months of 2005. In February, the Palestinian Authority declared a ceasefire
with Israel, a move that won the endorsement of insurgency groups, but was
immediately violated.
These days, most of the estimated 10,000 Israeli troops assigned for
counter-insurgency operations in the Gaza Strip have been training for
withdrawal. The
troops have also been used to close the Gaza Strip to Israeli pullout
opponents.
Senior commanders, particularly Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz, have
privately expressed concern that the role of the military would change from
that of a Western-style defensive force to one that would be used to quell
civil unrest. Attending a ceremony last week for the opening of a military
facility for the 55,000 soldiers and police assigned to participate in the
withdrawal, Halutz turned to Mofaz and spoke loud enough for the television
crews to record.
"I hope this is the kind of mission that the army will not get used to,"
Halutz told Mofaz as he glanced toward the cameras.
Mofaz did not reply.
