One aspect of the coming war is trying to contrast what Israel can do if there is peace with what Israel can do if Hamas chooses war. The outline seems clear:
"We are sending them a message that the Hamas leadership has turned them into a punching bag for everyone," he told Israel Radio. "It is a leadership that has turned school yards in rocket launching pads. This a leadership that does not care that the blood of its people will run in the streets."
The deliveries did not persuade Gaza militants to halt their rocket and mortar fire on Israeli border communities. The military said more than 10 rockets and mortars were fired toward Israel early Friday. One home was struck but no injuries were reported.
Israel had originally agreed to open the cargo crossings with Gaza on Wednesday, but shut the passages after militants began pounding southern Israel with dozens of rockets and mortars.
The attacks were the heaviest since an Egyptian-mediated truce between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers expired last week. The truce, which had taken effect in June, began unraveling in early November.
Pressure has been mounting in Israel for the military to strike forcefully against Gaza militants and Israeli leaders have been voicing strong threats in recent days. But on Friday, military officials said the army was planning a routine rotation of its troops along the Gaza border in the coming week. That, coupled with current winter weather, made an imminent operation seem unlikely, they said.
I personally view troop rotations as an opportunity to increase troop strength in the potential combat area rather than being a time of lessened chance for war, but that's just me apparently.
So Israel now sends in supplies. Iranian-backed Hamas at some point decides to launch Rocket War II. Israel cuts off supplies to Gaza and invades to clear out Gaza of weapons and kill/capture Hamas leaders and terrorists (not that there's a lot of difference there, but you know what I mean).
What is unclear is how long Israel would stay in Gaza and whether Iranian-supported Hizbollah joins in the war. If Hizbollah attacks, too, Israel would expand ground operations into southern Lebanon.
And then the question becomes what Syria and their Iranian masters do in response.
If Iran stays out of direct military involvement it could remain a localized Syria-Israel fight. If Iran steps in openly, then we'd likely get involved.
If we get involved do we keep our military response narrowly focused on Iran's role in the fighting or do we take advantage of the war to go after Iran's nuclear infrastructure?
From home-made rockets cobbled together in Gaza metal shops, much misery can potentially unfold.
