So it's been reported that 20 mortars have been fired from Gaza into Israel over the past week. Israel responded yesterday, killing three members of Islamic Jihad. And recent reports had Hamas test firing a long range missile which could hit Tel Aviv.
An underground wall which will severely limit the capacity to smuggle Iranian supplied weapons into Gaza through tunnels is currently under construction. Of course you have to think there's a way around the wall, unless Egypt builds it along the entire length of the border. Otherwise what's the point? Nonetheless, life could soon become at least somewhat more difficult for Hamas.
RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) -- A jackhammer pounded large steel beams side by side into the sandy soil on the Egyptian side of Gaza's border, putting in place an underground wall that could shift the balance of power in this volatile area.
Once completed, the steel barrier would cut off blockaded Gaza's last lifeline and -- by slicing through hundreds of smuggling tunnels under the nine-mile (14-kilometer) Gaza-Egypt border -- could increase pressure on the territory's Hamas rulers to moderate.
The Islamic militants have so far shown little willingness to compromise in power-sharing talks with their Western-backed rivals or in negotiations on a prisoner swap with Israel. Their hold on Gaza is at least partly dependent on supplies and cash coming through the tunnels.
http://www.nytimes.com/...
More on the wall.
"The wall definitely has the potential to make things difficult, though it (smuggling) won't stop hermetically," an Israeli military officer briefed on Gaza intelligence said.
"There has certainly been an effect already. It's driving Hamas crazy.
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Citing an unnamed Egyptian intelligence source, Israel's biggest newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth said the wall would run as deep as 30 metres (yards) and would be rigged with sensors and pressurised hoses to flood tunnels with seawater.
http://af.reuters.com/...
So moving forward you have to wonder what the peacemaking strategy will be? One report suggests that Egypt/ The PA and Israel are working together to isolate Hamas. This as a prelude to - given Hamas's re-arming with better rockets - unfortunately, another round of fighting in Gaza, which will have to end with the toppling of Hamas. If fighting breaks out in Gaza again, Israel will have to go for the heads of Hamas. Given the ridiculous one sided bashing Israel took at the UN and in the reports of human rights groups, Israel cannot afford these stop gap measures with Hamas anymore. It seems the blood only boils when Israel responds to war crimes committed against it , as in those 7000 rockets Hamas fired at Israeli civilians for years before Cast Lead.
Hamas officials in the Gaza Strip have admitted that they are concerned over the Egyptian underground barrier under construction along the Gaza-Egypt border.
The fence is expected to reach a depth of 18 meters (59 feet), and span 10 km (about 6 miles), and threatens to strangle the Strip's only lifeline – the smuggling tunnels.
Hamas fears that via this channel, Egypt is joining the Palestinian Authority and Israel in creating a three-way siege on the Strip that would severely hurt the movement.
Anyone looking in on the occurrences both on the Palestinian side and the Egyptian side can see that in order to topple Hamas, joint Palestinian-Israel-Egyptian activity is required. For the first time, such cooperation seems to be underway.
http://www.ynetnews.com/...
Of course one hopes that hamas sees the light, renounces terror, renounces their ambitions to liberate Palestine from the river to the sea and plays ball. Peacefully. Reconciles with Fatah. I doubt it, but one can hope. Hey Hamas, try a little bit o' moderation why don't ya?
But how else will there ever be peace with Hamas's continuing stranglehold on Gaza? With their re-arming with better rockets? They must moderate or they must be toppled. Egypt can obviously no longer tolerate the growing Gazan Hamas/Iran threat to their regime. Yes it's not a great regime but at least they've made peace with israel and don't have regional hegemonic ambitions like Iran. But Egypt seemingly has had it with Hamas. At least this week. And maybe when Hamas goes, Egypt can liberalize to some degree given Hamas's demise would mean a weakening of the religious radicals in Egypt allied with them.
And another item being discussed is the Israeli taking of the Philadelphi corridor which would stamp out weapons smuggling once and for all. After a time, if the PA regains political control of Gaza and a peace treaty is signed then Israel can relinquish it. But stopping the massive illegal weapons flow into Gaza is paramount.
The IDF is prepared for the possibility that in a future conflict with Hamas it will be ordered by the government to take over the Philadelphi Corridor in the southern Gaza Strip, which is lined with hundreds of weapons smuggling tunnels, defense officials said on Sunday.
Plans for such an operation have been drawn up and would likely include the deployment of several units in the southern Gaza town of Rafah and along the 14-kilometer strip of land called the Philadelphi Corridor under which Hamas has dug several hundred tunnels that are used to smuggle weapons and explosives into the Strip.
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Such an operation would be designed to prevent Hamas from rearming following the larger conflict. It would require troops to go house-to-house in Rafah to search for tunnels and to destroy them. There is also the possibility that following such an operation, the IDF would retain a presence in southern Rafah to prevent the re-digging of the tunnels.
The IDF believes that since Cast Lead ended in mid-January 2009, Hamas has significantly boosted its military capabilities and has obtained long-range rockets, mostly from Iran. One of these rockets was recently tested by Hamas and has a range of more than 60 km., which means it could hit Tel Aviv.
http://www.jpost.com/...
So there it is. Hamas is a great impediment to peace.
moon