Newsgroup: it.politica.internazionale
Titolo: "a brief historical reminder is in order"

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/31/AR2008123102772.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
Why Israel Is Bombing Gaza
By Ephraim Sneh
Thursday, January 1, 2009; A13
When demands are made of Israel to halt its military activities in
Gaza, a brief historical reminder is in order.
In September 2005, Israel vacated Gaza, dismantled all the settlements
in the Gaza Strip and did not leave a shred of a presence there.
In January 2006, rule over Gaza passed to the Hamas government under
Ismail Haniyeh. Instead of bringing investors to Gaza, the Hamas
government brought the guerrilla-warfare trainers of the Iranian
Revolutionary Guard. Instead of launching economic projects, this
government launched rockets every day at Israeli towns and villages
across the border. They smuggled in vast amounts of explosives,
weapons and rockets; they prepared themselves for battle.
In June 2007, in a brutal and bloody military coup, Hamas took control
of Gaza and soon killed or chased out the leaders of President Mahmoud
Abbas's Fatah movement. Gaza became nothing less than a military base
for Iran.
Up until the Hamas takeover, 750 trucks would cross the border each
day with imports and exports. As Israel's deputy defense minister at
the time, I was in charge of this activity and promoted this trade
with Gaza, since the border crossings were being controlled by Abbas's
Presidential Guard, not by terrorists. The Hamas takeover is what in
effect locked the gates of Gaza and forced its residents to suffer.
The rain of rockets on the citizens of Israel intensified. The cease-
fire that lasted from June until Dec. 19 was used by Hamas to increase
its military strength -- mainly to smuggle in Grad-type rockets from
Iran, which have a range of 20 miles. In recent days, these missiles
have struck cities such as Ashdod, Israel's main port, and Beersheva,
the capital of Israel's south. No sovereign state would have resigned
itself to having its cities -- cities such as Houston or Atlanta --
bombarded. No sovereign state would allow itself to be hit by even a
single missile. That is the reason for the military campaign that
Israel launched this week in a series of aerial strikes.
But the campaign's objective is not to end the rocket fire. The true
objective should be the end of Hamas rule in Gaza. Israel cannot
resign itself to having a missile and terror base five miles from one
of its principal cities, Ashkelon.
Gaza's Palestinians, too, in telephone and e-mail conversations, are
expressing their urgent wish to end the nightmare that Hamas has
imposed on them. An end to the Hamas regime in Gaza is essential for
them, as well. It is not possible to govern Gaza in the absence of
close cooperation with Israel on issues of trade, energy, environment,
water and health. Those who reject the legitimacy of Israel can't
provide a normal life for Gaza's 1.5 million residents, who on average
are living on $2 a day.
Israel could bring about a collapse of the Hamas regime in Gaza by
means of a lengthy, large-scale ground campaign. With a clear exit
strategy lacking, this is not an appealing option for us. At the
moment, unfortunately, this is the only option available.
Yet there is another way. Those demanding a cease-fire must produce a
comprehensive solution, a "package" containing the following elements:
· Full dismantling of the military power of Hamas in Gaza, including
destruction of all stockpiles of rockets and missiles.
· Transfer of control over border-crossings between Gaza and Egypt and
between Gaza and Israel to the Palestinian Authority government of
Salam Fayyad.
· Until the elections to the Palestinian parliament and the presidency
in January 2010, Gaza is to be run by a civilian administration
appointed by the government in Ramallah.
· Augmented Egyptian supervision of the border between Gaza and Egypt.
· The return of kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
Such an agreement will require international and regional support.
Countries such as Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia can play an important
role. Syria, if it uses its influence over the Hamas leadership that
is comfortably hosted by Damascus, can win points toward any future
discussions with the United States and Israel.
In the absence of such a package, the fighting in Gaza will not end.
Israel has no reason to end it.

 Why Israel Is Bombing Gaza
continuano a mancare i 49 palestinesi seccati durante la tregua e gli
0 ebrei morti come rappresaglia dei feroci terroristi