25.03.2011                      19.Adar ll, 5771

Eskalation:

Israel has little to gain from an escalation with Hamas

Israeli leaders ask themselves how to stop rocket fire without a head-on clash with Hamas in which ground forces are sent into Gaza.

Israel's response to the rocket fire from the Gaza Strip remained limited yesterday. One reason could be that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is abroad and the Israel Defense Forces will escalate its attacks when he returns. Another could be that Israel understands that it currently has little to gain from an escalation with Hamas.
The air force's attacks yesterday seemed symbolic. Gaza residents told Haaretz that among the targets was the old intelligence building, abandoned years ago, and a Hamas post no longer in use that had been bombed five times before….