The Islamic Jihad sent two “soldiers” to plant an explosive device on the Israeli side of the Gaza line. Israeli forces saw them, opened fire, and killed them. This has resulted in a series of escalations on both sides. The terrorist group is allowed to operate freely in the Gaza strip by the Hamas governing body. Israel makes cease fire bargains with Hamas with the intention of easing tensions, but the Islamic Jihad isn’t part of the deal. Israeli leaders fume and posture, and send the ?Israeli Air Force to bomb targets in the region. While doing this, the IDF_AF takes great care to avoid any casualties, and especially avoids killing people. It’s a three way phony war. Hamas promises no rockets or sniper fire or balloon fire bombs from their side in return for extending fishing areas off Gaza and keeping the border crossing points open for traffic in both directions. Israel even recently sent some representatives to Qatar to ask them to keep subsidizing Hamas. There has been no change in the observance of tose agreements by either Hamas or Israel.
The Islamic Jihad, however, is an entirely different case. They have no responsibility for the civilian population in which they shelter. Israel relies on Hamas to keep them under control, but Hamas has little interest in doing so. The Jihadists allow Hamas to de facto support armed conflict against Israel while maintaining “plausible deniability” for those very actions. There is no real question over the ability of the IDF to reconquer the entire Gaza area. What is lacking is the political will of the Israeli government, now approaching the third indecisive election in a row. Any War involves casualties on both sides, and Israeli leaders are, for now, not prepared to accept the consequences of a major military action. The most important of those consequences being the almost automatic condemnation of Israel by the world press and other international bodies. Those leaders have been making threats, but if the threats are perceived as being without substance the entire charade will continue.
Wetherhorn 