The Israeli cabinet has authorised Defense Minister Edud Barak to mobilize reservists if needed, while the Israeli foreign ministry has been directed to embark on a major diplomatic public relations campaign to garner international support for a new offensive on Gaza by outlining that Israel is acting in self-defense to defend itself against continued rocket attacks, which it says have become intolerable.
"We are still at the beginning of the event, not at the end, and we expect some complicated tests ahead," Defense Minister Barak told a press conference Thursday. "It will require vigilance; not only in Gaza, but also in Israel and in Judea and Samaria. But in the long run I believe that this operation will contribute to strengthening deterrence and reinstituting the calm in the South."
Israel Defense Forces spokesman Brig.-Gen. Yoav Mordechai told the conference, "The first aim of this operation is to bring back quiet to southern Israel, and the second target is to strike at terrorist organizations. The home front must brace itself."
Israel and the Palestinians have been functioning under a fragile truce for some months with negotiations underway to firm it up. Egypt was involved in negotiations and had submitted a draft peace proposal to Hamas military commander Ahmed Jabariand who, according to a CNN report, had expressed interest in the proposal and was studying it. Israel too was believed to be considering the proposal, while it emerged on Thursday Mr Barak and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spent Wednesday traveling to the north of the country focused seemingly on the Syrian situation.
However unbeknowns to the Egyptians and Palestinians, Israel was preparing to launch "Pillar of Defense," a major military operation which it says is to stem the rocket attacks. To start the campaign, Israel had decided to assassinate Jabariand, who ironically was involved in the truce discussions.
Once Israel killed Jabariand, and one other, in an air strike, a barrage of rockets hit Israel. They continued on Thursday and three Israeli civlians were killed. Israel responded with, according to the Israeli army, nearly two hundred air strikes which killed thirteen Palestinians.
Netanyahu on Thursday defended the military campaign saying a fifth of the Israeli population was continually under a barrage of rocket attacks and no country in the world would tolerate that.
While the Palestinians are totally mismatched with their arsenal of rockets, which Israel claim are provided by Iran, they are up against one of the most sophistiacated and best-equipped militaries in the world. Russia has already criticised Israel for what it calls a "disproportionate response."
Egypt is particularly angry as it believed it was mediating and brokering a truce when Israel launched its campaign. While giving nominal support to the Egyptian peace proposal, Israel was already putting in place plans to escalate the violence. "Prior to the operation, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz spent two days finalizing its details, as the defense minister repeatedly visited the Gaza Division to go over the plans," The Jerusalem Post reported Thursday.
Egypt has expressed its anger at the Israeli action by recalling its ambassador from Tel Aviv and has condemned the air strikes. Israel responded by withdrawing its ambassador from Cairo.
While all indications are that Israel has initiated the present round of hostilities, the diplomatic public relations campaign it embarked on, at the same time it initiated its Pillar of Defense operation, is working.
"We strongly condemn the barrage of rocket fire from Gaza into southern Israel, and we regret the death and injury of innocent Israeli and Palestinian civilians caused by the ensuing violence. There is no justification for the violence that Hamas and other terrorist organizations are employing against the people of Israel," the U.S. State Department said in a statement.
"We call on those responsible to stop these cowardly acts immediately. We support Israel's right to defend itself, and we encourage Israel to continue to take every effort to avoid civilian casualties," the State Department statement said.
Newly re-elected U.S. President Barack Obama was quick to jump to the defense of Israel, telling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a telephone call that Israel had a right to defend itself. "President Obama told Prime Minister Netanyahu that he understands and supports Israel's right to self-defense in light of countless rocket attacks on Israeli civilians being launched from Gaza. The President urged that Prime Minister Netanyahu make every effort to avoid civilian casualties, and agreed that Hamas needs to stop the attacks on Israel and allow the situation to de-escalate," Susan Ruce, the U.S. Ambassador to the UN said Thursday.
Germany's foreign minister Guido Westerwelle said Thursday, Israel has a "legitimate right to defend itself" and protect its own citizens against rocket attacks from the Gaza strip.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said in a statement, "Hamas bears principal responsibility for the current crisis. I utterly condemn rocket attacks from Gaza into southern Israel by Hamas and other armed groups. This creates an intolerable situation for Israeli civilians in southern Israel, who have the right to live without fear of attack from Gaza."
Canada too was quick to support the Jewish state. "We fundamentally believe that Israel has the right to defend itself and its citizens from terrorist threats," Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird said in a statement. "Far too often, the Jewish people find themselves on the front lines in the struggle against terrorism, the great struggle of our generation."
"Canada condemns the terrorist group Hamas and stands with Israel as it deals with regional threats to peace and security."
An Israeli army spokesman on Thursday, in response to a question as to why Israel was not using its Iron Dome rocket defense system to defend itself against the rocket attacks, said the Iron Dome system had successfully intercepted more than 80 rockets since the start of the military operation.
One rocket however made a direct hit on a Kiryat Malachi apartment building killing three Israeli civlians. Hours later, according to The Jerusalem Post, a rocket fired into the Eshkol region, injured three IDF soldiers, two moderately.
On Wednesday a BBC's reporter's 11-month old baby was among ten people including two other children and a woman pregnant with twins killed in Gaza by missles from Israeli warplanes. 40 people were wounded according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Source: http://www.bruneinews.net/index.php/sid/210747602/scat/b8de8e630faf3631
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