Three papers comment on the escalation in the south:
Yediot Aharonot asserts that „If Hamas wanted to go for broke, it would fire rockets at Herzliya or Ben-Gurion International Airport; it has the means to do so. But Hamas does not want to go for broke; it is just testing the limits and trying to set new rules of the game.” The author claims that „The timing of the escalation is no coincidence. It is occurring near the date when we will have a new GOC Southern Command, and the Chief-of-Staff’s term is almost over. Hamas believes that Israel will hesitate now before striking Gaza.” The paper reminds its readers that „On Monday, for the first time in a very long while, the Air Force deliberately struck at Hamas personnel. This was a clear signal to Hamas that Israel holds it responsible for the escalation and that it will not accept any change in the rules of the game. Is this signal enough? Only Hamas knows.”
Yisrael Hayom commends the IDF’s response to the latest provocation from Gaza and notes that „Not only have the smaller terrorist organizations been firing at the communities around the Gaza Strip for some time but Hamas, which rules the Strip, is closing its eyes and allowing its cells to join in the firing.” The author speculates that Hamas’s senior leadership, and possibly even Iran, has approved the latest escalation in an effort to „heat up the area in order to thwart any diplomatic dialogue between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.” The paper avers that „Israel’s enemies are continuously checking to what degree Israel is prepared to use force in order to defend its citizens at the price of hypocritical shouts from around the world.”
The Jerusalem Post notes that, two years after Operation Cast Lead, the Gaza region seems to be heating up again. The editor states that the current escalation of fire from Gaza underlines Hamas’s potential to wreak havoc in southern Israel but adds that „However firm it considers its hold on Gaza to be, Hamas would be foolish to risk forcing Israel into a repeat resort to such use of force.”
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Ma’ariv complains that „The organizers of an international swimming competition in Dubai have refrained from listing the name of a country, several of whose swimmers are competing, and instead of ‘Israel’, are writing ‘ISR’ on the scoreboard.” The author remarks that „It is a mixed-up world. The West holds a prestigious swimming competition in a dark country and allows the organizers to conceal the name of a democratic country.”
Haaretz criticizes the policies of the Netanyahu government, which, it claims, are eroding Israel’s international standing, and states that the way to restore the faith of international leaders in the government and protect Israel’s interests around the world „remains the freezing of settlements and a diplomatic process in which the core issues are seriously discussed.” In conclusion, the editor calls on the international community to push the sides toward such negotiations.”
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