JERUSALEM, 6 September 2007 — Israeli leaders yesterday decided against a large-scale military response to ongoing rocket fire from the Gaza Strip, but said they would consider cutting off electricity or other vital supplies to the impoverished area if the attacks persist.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert convened the gathering of his Security Cabinet, a group of top ministers and defense officials, to discuss the latest wave of rockets. Pressure has been mounting for a tough response since a rocket landed next to a crowded nursery school in the southern town of Sderot on Monday. There were no injuries.
In a statement, Olmert’s office said Israel would continue its policy of pinpoint operations at destroying Palestinian rocket squads. But meeting participants said they had ruled out a broad ground offensive for the time being.
“The Cabinet decided that it will continue its intense military action against those involved in terror and launching rockets, and nobody among those responsible and their partners will be immune,” the statement said.
Islamic Jihad, a Palestinian group, carried out this week’s rocket fire. But in the statement, Israel said it holds Hamas, which seized control of Gaza in June, responsible for the “continuous, horrendous and indiscriminate attacks toward the Israeli civilian population.”
It said Olmert has instructed military, diplomatic and legal experts to “devise a plan that will take into account all the military and civilian options to hit the services that Israel supplies to the Gaza Strip.”
A number of senior officials have endorsed the idea of cutting off basic supplies to Gaza, which relies on Israel for water, power and fuel.
“I believe there is a range of steps Israel can take without creating a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, in order to send a message to Hamas and the rest of the terror groups,” said Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, who left the Security Cabinet meeting to attend a news conference with the visiting Italian foreign minister.
Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas spokesman, said his group is “looking with great concern at this serious and dangerous Israeli threat,” which he termed “a new escalation against our people.” Despite the tough rhetoric, Israel’s options could be problematic. Broad military operations in the past have failed to stop the rocket fire while causing heavy casualties on both sides. Cutting off vital supplies could cause widespread suffering and would likely bring harsh international condemnation.
Sari Bashi, director of the Israeli human rights group Gisha, said halting vital services to Gaza amounted to illegal collective punishment. “You can’t deliberately punish civilians under international law,” she said.
Israel routinely conducts brief incursions and airstrikes against rocket squads. Yesterday, Israeli tanks and bulldozers moved into northern Gaza, and the forces were later seen bringing four launchers out of the area.
The pressure for tougher action has grown since Monday’s rocket attack in Sderot, which landed next to the day-care center shortly after children arrived. No one was hurt, but scenes of panicked mothers racing to comfort their terrified children were repeatedly broadcast on Israeli television.
The Israeli meeting came as Tony Blair was in Jerusalem in his new role as representative of the Quartet of Middle East mediators.
Blair, who was meeting with Israeli and Palestinian officials, is expected to be in the area for about 10 days before reporting at the end of the month to the Quartet. The Blair visit is part of a new international diplomatic push aimed at reviving peace efforts.
Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas plan to meet in the coming days before a visit to the region by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Sept. 18, said Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat. Rice is trying to push the sides into agreeing on an outline for a future peace agreement ahead of a US-sponsored conference in November.
Meanwhile, the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross said yesterday that the Palestinians may permit representatives of the organization to visit Israeli soldier Cpl. Gilad Shalit. Angelo Gnaedinger made the statement after meeting with the Hamas leader of the Gaza Strip, Ismail Haniyeh.
“We asked for access to him and the possibility for him to communicate through us with his family,” Gnaedinger told reporters after the meeting. “We have been told that this is under consideration and that everybody is working on a positive solution for this case and that the humanitarian aspects are being take care of.”
