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The Gaza minefield
ISRAEL is making Gaza pay dearly for the abduction of a 19-year-old Israeli soldier exactly a week ago. Five thousand Israeli troops, backed by armor, have ringed the Palestinian territory, waiting for the order to cross the border. As of Sunday the order for a major ground offensive has not come down, as Israeli officials allowed Egypt one last chance to secure the release of Cpl. Gilad Shalit. But that hasn’t stopped Israeli aircraft, artillery and gunboats from pounding selected targets inside Gaza, including its power station, key bridges and the office of Palestinian Prime Minister Ismael Haniya.
Israel’s message to the ruling Hamas Party is clear: Send back Shalit alive or we will annihilate you. One Israeli newspaper reflected the government’s resolve. “If the kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit does not return alive, there is no more Hamas government. Israel will erase this concept from the Middle Eastern political map,” the paper warned.
No one questions the capability of the Israeli army to unleash the dogs of war on Hamas. Israel has never tried to hide its contempt for the group, which has vowed to crush the Jewish nation. Hamas has sent its followers on suicide missions into the very heart of its hated neighbor. Now that it has risen to power in the Palestinian territories, the Israelis have all the more reason to feel apprehensive.
If Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert does give the order for ground forces to move into Gaza, it could set off repercussions that are bound to convulse the entire Middle East. For one thing, Syria will inevitably be drawn into the conflict. Israeli has long accused the Damascus government of coddling Hamas Already Israeli warplanes have made overflights in Syria over the past week. An attack on Syria could further stoke the already seething anger against Israel in the Arab world. Egypt, which has been playing the broker between the Israelis and the Palestinians, will have to take sides. Jordan, too, will have to make a crucial decision of its own.
Expectedly, Hamas will retaliate by launching more suicide attacks on Israel.
As the clouds of conflict gather, the shadow of a humanitarian crisis spreads in Gaza. Since the power station was knocked out last week, the territory’s 1.4 million inhabitants have been left without electricity. With the pumps not running, taps have run dry and the sewerage system is clogged up. Fuel deliveries from outside Gaza have been blocked by Israeli troops. Emergency generators for hospitals are about to give out, putting patients at risk.
Over the weekend the indications are the impasse over the release of Gilad Shalit is not about to be broken soon. The crisis is just beginning to enter its most dangerous phase. The protagonists must negotiate carefully through a diplomatic and political minefield and find a peaceful solution. Every effort must be made to prevent hell from breaking loose.