Israel's defense minister hearing from all sides on why not to invade Gaza
Tuesday, December 23, 2008 Free Headline Alerts
TEL AVIV — The United States is bring heavy pressure on Defense Minister Ehud Barak to stop plans for a military invasion of the Gaza Strip.
Israeli political sources said the Bush administration, across a spectrum of channels and official contacts, have urged Barak not to approve such an invasion.
The sources said American supporters of Barak and the Labor Party have relayed a similar message.
"Barak is under very heavy pressure, and he needs these people for his election campaign and his political future," a political source said.
The sources said Barak entered office in 2007 intent on ending Hamas and other Palestinian missile strikes on Israel. But they said the defense minister decided on a course of restraint a year later when Hamas agreed to a ceasefire.
"Barak has been repeatedly warned that the United States would not support an Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, and that Israel would have to leave with its tail between its legs," the source said.
Barak's Labor Party has been trailing badly in the polls for Knesset elections in February 2009. The sources said Barak, a 66-year-old former prime minister and chief of staff, has been concerned that this would mark his last bid for power.
The defense minister has been opposed by most of the Cabinet regarding an Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip. On Dec. 22, Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi broke weeks of silence and said Israel could not tolerate daily missile strikes from the Gaza Strip.
"The realities of the situation in Gaza are unacceptable," Ashkenazi told Army Radio. "The Israel Defense Forces is prepared for every possible operation that could be required in the Gaza Strip. I'll present the different options to the political echelons, and we'll do what we're ordered to do."
The sources said Barak, whose relations with the U.S. government goes back to the late 1970s, has been receiving millions of dollars for his political campaign from Americans close to U.S. President-elect Barack Obama. They said these Americans, including former officials of the administration of President Bill Clinton, have urged Barak not to stage a Middle East crisis when Obama enters office on Jan. 20.
"The messages began with the Bush administration and intensified after Obama's victory in November," the political source said. "He [Barak] is getting phone calls from Americans in Washington and Tel Aviv every day."
For his part, Barak has accused his rivals of using the Hamas missile campaign for political gain. He said he would not be dragged into a premature conflict with the Islamic regime.
"The time, place and manner in which our forces will act will be determined by the professional echelon," Barak said.