The call-up of 40,000 reservists from the Israeli Defence Force in response to rocket attacks from Gaza is the latest escalation in an increasingly dangerous confrontation in the Middle East. So far, the government of Benjamin Netanyahu has shown commendable restraint in responding with surgical strikes against Hamas missile bases and known operatives. But at least a dozen civilians are reported dead in Gaza, in turn putting popular pressure on Hamas to strike back, continuing the cycle of violence.
Sure enough, last night, air raid sirens were sounded in Tel Aviv as Hamas unleashed its long-range missiles. Soon, a popular clamour for the IDF to enter Gaza – as it did in 2008 – could be hard to resist. But if at all possible, Mr Netanyahu should hold back. Israel’s “Iron Dome” affords protection against the missiles and proved highly effective over Tel Aviv during a similar bombardment two years ago. True, the provocation is enormous: more than 100 rockets have been fired from Gaza into Israel, and it is hard to expect any country to exercise self-discipline in such circumstances. Imagine how we would respond if, say, Dover were targeted by French missiles.
But the flare-up with Hamas can no longer be seen solely within the depressingly familiar context of the long-running Arab-Israeli dispute. What is happening elsewhere in the region – in Syria, Iraq, the Sinai peninsula and, potentially, Jordan and Lebanon – gives this a far more dangerous geopolitical edge. The Islamists in their newly declared caliphate along Iraq’s frontier with Jordan want the common enemy of Israel drawn into the wider conflict. Moreover, Hamas’s political hold in Gaza is shaky, which is why it has engineered a pact with Fatah in the West Bank. One reason for Israel’s reluctance to mount a ground operation is that the collapse of Hamas would encourage the rise of more extreme jihadist groups. By ratcheting up the pressure through air strikes and troop mobilisation, Israel hopes instead to force a weakened Hamas to stop the rocket attacks.
If that plan fails, and the IDF is compelled to enter Gaza, events will be hard to control. Such action could ignite trouble in the West Bank, where tensions remain high following the murder of a Palestinian boy in an apparent tit-for-tat response to the killing of three Israeli students. Again, the Israelis have acted properly by arresting the suspects and allowing the law to take its course. With so much mayhem around it, Israel looks like a democratic oasis of relative calm. Of course, its government’s first priority must be the protection of its people. But if that can be achieved without fomenting even more jihadist fanaticism, that must be to Israel’s long-term advantage.
Source: Top Stories - Google News - http://ift.tt/1r7ASnV
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