Israeli army turns on Olmert

ANNETTE YOUNG
Scotland on Sunday
Jul. 09, 2006

AFTER a week of fierce fighting against Palestinian militants in Gaza, the Israeli government was last night facing growing unease within its own military over the refusal to negotiate with Hamas for the release of kidnapped soldier Corporal Gilad Shalit.

But there was little sign of Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert changing his stance yesterday when he rejected a Hamas call for a ceasefire after a bloody week in which more than 30 Palestinians, mainly militants, and one Israeli soldier were killed following Shalit's kidnapping.

The United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan appealed to Israel and the Palestinians to "pull back from the brink for the sake of all civilians in the region".

He called on Israel to halt what he said was the disproportionate use of force, demanded Shalit's release, and reminded both sides of their humanitarian obligation to spare civilians from violence.

Israeli forces yesterday withdrew from most of the northern Gaza Strip, where the fierce fighting has been centred, but clashes erupted near Gaza City, leaving at least five Palestinians dead, including a six-year old girl after an airstrike hit a house.

The move was not expected to be a complete end to the violence. "We are acting at our own discretion and we do not rule out a return to these areas," an army spokesman said. "The operation is not over."

Meanwhile, Olmert's refusal to budge on the issue of negotiating with Hamas was starting to raise questions among senior military ranks. Military sources said it was Israeli Defence Force (IDF) policy "to do anything to rescue a soldier" but efforts to pursue negotiations were being hamstrung by a prime minister's office determined to take a hard line.

Since the 1970s, the policy has been to pursue a military response but also be open to negotiating - either if there is seen to be no military alternative or as a parallel strategy. "The prime minister's hardline stance could lead to unnecessary loss of life on both sides," said one official. "All parties - Olmert, [Palestinian president] Mahmoud Abbas, Egypt and Hamas - know what the package is. The time has come for all of them, especially Israel, to come to the table and start talking."

Hamas officials have also blamed Olmert's office for stalled negotiations, saying Israel was refusing to respond to Hamas's "legitimate demand for the release of prisoners in exchange for Shalit's release".

For the first time since the crisis began, Israeli public security minister Avi Dichter suggested on Friday that Israel might release Palestinian prisoners as part of an Egyptian proposal to free kidnapped 19-year-old Shalit. Dichter said that once Shalit was released and militants stopped rocket attacks from Gaza, "then, in a goodwill gesture, Israel, as it has in the past, knows how to free prisoners".

But other Israeli ministers denied there would be negotiations. "We have no comment, except to say that Israel is prepared to take whatever steps necessary to bring the soldier home but will not give in to blackmail," said David Baker, a spokesman for the prime minister's office.

Palestinian prime minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas issued a five-point ceasefire proposal, calling on Israel to halt its offensive and release prisoners but saying little about what Hamas was prepared to do in return.

The Israelis brushed aside the truce offer. "We will not negotiate with hostage-takers," Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said.

Dr Boaz Ganor, a leading Israeli expert on counter-terrorism strategy from the Herzliya Interdisciplinary Centre, said the Israeli government and Hamas were now restricted by harsh statements made at the outset of the crisis.

"Such hardline comments from both Israeli and Palestinian leaders have defined public opinion, so the window of opportunity to resolve this crisis is in danger of disappearing," Ganor said. "In Olmert's case, it depends if his tough stance is either a tactical manoeuvre or strategic. If it is strategic, it is a mistake."

Ganor argued the key issue was for both parties to use a negotiating opportunity "to bring a bigger cake to the table". "For Israel, it would be the chance to insist that Palestinians end all rocket attacks and cease all other terrorist activities against Israeli citizens, and for the Palestinians to demand Israel stops targeted assassinations and ends all military activity in Gaza," he said.

Fierce fighting broke out yesterday morning as Israeli tanks approached the outskirts of Gaza City. But at the same time, Israeli troops withdrew from northern Gaza "since the immediate goals of the operation in that area had been achieved", said a spokesman for the IDF.

Palestinian witnesses said two Palestinians, including a policeman, were killed during clashes that also saw Israeli aircraft firing missiles at gunmen on the edge of the densely packed neighbourhood of Shijaia - a stronghold of the governing Hamas movement.

Israeli officials said the latest offensive was prompted by the discovery of another tunnel they said was to be used by Hamas militants to smuggle weapons and carry out another raid in Israeli territory.

In the Israeli city of Ashkelon, north of the Gaza border, residents were coming to terms with now living on "Israel's new frontline" after rockets hit city locations, including a schoolyard.

Nobody was injured, but with one of the country's largest power plants in its southern districts, along with Israel's only desalination plant, there is now fear among its 120,000 citizens that the next attack will result in sizeable fatalities.

While the southern edge of Ashkelon had been hit before, its centre was still considered out of range until last Tuesday, when a rocket launched by Hamas militants hit the heart of the city.

"Today, Ashkelon; tomorrow, Tel Aviv," said Roni Mehatzri, the mayor of Ashkelon, pointing out that his city was only an hour's drive south from Tel Aviv. "If Ashkelon is under attack, then the whole of Israel is under attack," he said.

Outside the mayor's office, Yamit Elimaliach was buying ice-cream for her two children. The 30-year-old mother said she and her husband had just bought a flat in Ashkelon.

"Yes, it's scary, and while we're determined to stay, I'll be honest that if these attacks had happened just before we bought our home, we would have changed our minds."