Several rockets launched from the Gaza Strip landed in southern Israel this week, as extremists continue to attack civilians even though a substantive IDF reaction will likely eviscerate terrorist infrastructure and go well beyond the destruction and casualties from Operation Cast Lead.
Immediately following Christmas 2008, Israel launched a military campaign to stop attacks on southern Israel. In 2008 alone, approximately 3700 rocket and mortar shells were launched from Gaza into southern Israel, leading to Israel’s commencement of the three week major military operation that left between 1100 and 1400 Palestinians dead, the bulk of whom were terrorists. However, many children and innocent civilians were killed, not to mention the extensive destruction caused by Israeli ground and air strikes.
While the number of rockets and mortar shells lobbed at Israel has not yet reached 2008 levels, the major southern Israeli city of Beer Sheva (and this blogger’s birthplace) was struck by terrorist fire, causing several individuals to seek medical attention. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently estimated that 275 rockets and 186 mortar shells have been launched at Israeli since the end of Operation Cast Lead.
Even though Israel has responded in a comparatively tepid fashion to the most recent onslaught of terrorist attacks, extremists in the Gaza Strip should have fair warning — the next major Israeli response to escalated Palestinian attacks on civilians will likely include a military exercise that makes Operation Cast Lead look like a training run.
Gazans have some legitimate issues that must be negotiated with Israel, but continuing to target civilians on a daily basis will only backfire and set their cause — not to mention infrastructure — back to the stone age.
Faced with increased mortar shell and rocket fire on major Israeli towns, the IDF will not likely only destroy ammunition hubs and target the most active terrorists in the Gaza Strip, as had occurred during Operation Cast Lead. The next Israeli attack will probably include a complete and total annihilation of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other terrorist networks.
Because Israel will not unduly risk the lives of its soldiers, air strikes and massive troop incursions will likely decimate the Gaza Strip — terrorists and innocent civilians alike. Hamas will not survive the next major Israeli attack on Gaza, and the terror group is well aware of that fact, as it has made limited attempts to reign in fringe extremists behind many of these attacks.
Gazans should make no mistake — continued attacks on Israeli civilians will likely result in the destruction of their homes and the unnecessary deaths of hundreds of innocent children and civilians. The terrorists responsible for the attacks on Israel will bring the wrath of the IDF on the people of Gaza, and those civilians not affiliated with Hamas or other radical groups have a responsibility to aid Israel in stopping extremists and preventing them from obtaining weapons.
Even though Israel faced substantial international condemnation for civilian deaths during Operation Cast Lead, Israel will not continue to let its civilians live under constant bombardment from terrorists in the Gaza Strip. Regardless of how the next Richard Goldstone — the author of the anti-Israel U.N. report on Operation Cast Lead — characterizes any pending Israeli military activity, Israel will have achieved the complete eradication of Hamas infrastructure and lead to, at least momentarily, peace for its population.
Critics of Operation Cast Lead, like Goldstone, said the Israeli response was disproportionate. The next major Israeli military campaign will be characterized even harsher as excessively asymmetrical, and that’s a message Israel wants to be sending.
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu provided that warning to Hamas and Gaza-based extremists this morning, saying:
“I wouldn’t suggest that anyone test our resolve.”
The population of the Gaza Strip has a clear choice — either immediately cease rocket and mortar shell fire on Israel civilians or face an IDF defensive campaign that will likely bring Gaza into ruins and needlessly end the lives of innocent civilians.
The Palestinians in Gaza can choose to take ownership over their actions and hold terrorists in their ranks accountable to avert unnecessary civilian death and destruction. If the Palestinians choose otherwise, that decision could very well be many of their last.
