Seeking to restore its deterrent credibility, Israel is reluctant to accept an immediate ceasefire with Palestinian terror groups in Gaza.
As of 3.30 p.m. EST on Wednesday, Israel’s Channel 12 News reported that the nation’s Cabinet has approved an escalation in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza.
So even as casualties mount on both sides, the necessary ingredients for a political solution are absent. This is not to say that the Israelis desired this latest round of fighting. At least six Israelis and 65 Palestinians have been killed thus far. Scenes of sectarian violence between young Jews and Arabs on Israeli streets are also deeply shocking to this diverse, pluralistic democracy.
Still, Israel senses it must use force to redress the balance of deterrence.
One challenge is the scale and quality of the rockets employed by Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. More than 1,300 rockets have been launched so far, with Tel Aviv, 35 miles from Gaza, sharing in the onslaught. Flight operations at Israel’s Ben Gurion international airport also have been heavily disrupted.
Put simply, Hamas and Islamic Jihad have proven themselves capable of putting vast areas of Israel and its population at risk. But that risk is not measured simply by Israeli casualties. Equally important, at least in terms of the Israeli government’s calculus, is the risk that Palestinian rocket strikes pose to civil society.
If Israelis cannot go about their lives without fear of an imminent rocket landing on top of them, society will grind to a halt. Coming so soon after Israel’s highly successful coronavirus vaccine rollout, these rocket attacks offer a new lockdown of a different and far more threatening kind. And with the Palestinian political process deadlocked between an emboldened Hamas in Gaza and a corrupt and weakened Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, Israeli officials will have little hope of a more conciliatory Palestinian political stance in the near future.
These factors fuel the Israeli government’s desire to impose costs on the terror groups of a kind that won’t easily be forgotten. That concern finds added impetus in Israel’s continuing political crisis. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to show the voters and prospective coalition partners that he offers the best option for their respective security and political interests. With half the nation now under attack, few voters want to see hesitation from their leader. They want decisive action.
Increasingly heavy airstrikes on Gaza are likely to continue until at least Friday evening. While dozens of Israeli special operations and intelligence operators will now be on the ground in Gaza, helping to identify targets, a conventional ground force operation into Gaza is unlikely. But more bloodshed is certain.
