Why the IDF is not invading Gaza

 In case you wondered why Israel has not opened a large scale military operation in Gaza to end the Qassam rocket fire, here is one excuse:

 Sources: IDF objects to Gaza op. because of tensions with Syria 
 

Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Wednesday that the Israel Defense Forces was moving closer to an extensive ground action in the Gaza Strip, "in order to halt the rocket fire and the strengthening [of militant organizations]", Barak told his senior staff and the heads of the military industries. The statement came a few hours after the security cabinet decided not to significantly alter the IDF's actions in the Gaza Strip.

The cabinet also decided to examine the legal implications of imposing sanctions on the civilian population of the Gaza Strip in response to Qassam fire, such as disrupting the supply of electricity.

However, no troop buildup or other preparations are being made in the Southern Command for immediate action. Senior military sources told Haaretz that as long as the tension is high along the Syrian border, IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi objects to large-scale action in Gaza because of the difficulty of operating on two fronts without massive drafting of the reserves. The sources said Israel's position might change if a large number of casualties resulted from the Qassam fire. 

 

The problem is, that we heard that excuse before, and it was promptly followed by a denial, since different forces are involved. The truth is, perhaps, that nobody wants to go back into Gaza again, out of the conviction that it would not, in the long run, do any good. There is also captive soldier Gilad Shalit to consider.  

 

Ami Isseroff