Israel’s Gaza assault: the real motives

It is no coincidence that the commando assault on 25 June 2006 that resulted in the death of two Israeli soldiers and the abduction of Corporal Gilad Shalit took place merely a day after the two main Palestinian political movements, Fatah and Hamas, reached a consensus over the "prisoners' document" that proposed a shift towards dialogue with Israel. The assault planners were well aware that a successful attack would instigate a harsh reaction from the Israeli side that is likely to reinforce the current cycle of violence and – crucially – undermine the efforts of moderate and pragmatic forces on both sides.

Yet, even they were probably surprised by Israel's disproportionate reaction to Shalit's seizure: a simultaneous incursion into south and north Gaza that drove around 25,000 people from their homes; the demolition of roads, bridges, and an electrical power plant that services 700,000 Palestinians; the destruction by bombing of the offices of the Palestinian Authority's prime minister (Ismail Haniya) and of the interior minister; and the kidnapping of most of Hamas's West Bank leadership. In the most arrogant action of the operation, four F-16s flew over the Syrian president's palace. What would have Israel done if the Syrians had shot down one of these planes: declare war against Syria?

The thoughtlessness here reflects the character of "Operation Summer Rains" as a whole. Far from an act of leadership and determination, it has no clear goals other than the destruction of the already brittle Palestinian Authority. It reveals Ehud Olmert's government in a sobering light: hysterical, inexperienced, and conceited; lacking restraint in the use of force; disregarding of its neighbours' sovereignty; impelled by a dubious (at best) sense of morality.

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