In The End, What Choice Will Bibi Have?

The state of Israel will not tolerate terrorism against its citizens, and the Israel Defense Forces will do all it can to protect the citizens of Israel.
IDF Blog, Sleepless Night of Rocket Fire in Southern Israel, August 25, 2011

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The IDF will not tolerate any attempt to harm Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers, and will not hesitate to respond with strength and determination to any element that uses terror against the State of Israel and until calm is restored.
IDF Blog, In Response to Rocket Fire, IAF Targets Three Sites in Gaza, August 25, 2011

But so far, the response of the IDF has clearly been restrained--no Operation Cast Lead here. The question is whether the directed retaliation of the IDF will be enough to "protect the citizens of Israel" and ensure that "calm is restored".

In that context, P David Hornik asks How much longer Israel's "restraint"?:

With southern Israel again under a barrage of rocket fire, here in Beersheva we had an air-raid siren last night at about 10, and another one at about 1 a.m. In the earlier one we could hear the very loud boom as an Iron Dome projectile hit the rocket in midair, directly over Beersheva.

The Israeli government has cited some reasons not to take strong action now: not to allow the terror axis to divert attention from what's happening in Syria, not to risk a worsening of relations with Egypt at a sensitive, dangerous time, not to worsen Israel's diplomatic standing before the Palestinian UN statehood bid around September 20. All these have some weight and plausibility; do they justify, do they dictate, passivity before ongoing attacks? Yes, Israel keeps making pinpoint strikes in response, but these obviously are just token efforts that don't deter and don't turn the tide.

Israel Harel says "enough already"; Israel has to get out of the defensive posture and start asserting the right of its citizens to live normal lives, and to live. I know that the top echelon of our government includes some tough, realistic people and I take their concerns seriously. But patience starts to fray. Netanyahu can be a very effective speaker. One could imagine him finally ordering an operation to eliminate the phenomenon known as Hamas, while giving a major press conference, flanked by his major ministers, detailing what Israel has undergone from these rocket barrages and clearly and forcefully making the point that no other country would tolerate it. Imagine...

Part of the problem may be imagining the world outcry if Israel goes into Gaza determined to put an end to the Hamas rockets once and for all. Israel may be reluctant to face world condemnation again:

Defense officials said Israel was looking for a way to end the current round with Hamas, citing the lack of international support as one of the reasons Israel could not open a larger offensive against the Gaza Strip.

It is a difficult situation, but in the end--what choice will Netanyahu have but commit Israel to a major operation in Gaza.

Inevitably, it will serve the purposes of the terrorists in any of a number of ways.

But in the end, what choice will Bibi have?

Technorati Tag: Israel and Gaza and Hamas and Terrorism.