Before I jump into the current conflict and escalation of violence between Israel and Hamas-ruled Gaza, some background information and history of the Gaza Strip will help paint the picture a little better. Although brief, it will certainly help make clear how the recent conflict came to be. I’ll also discuss various responses to the recent incidents from Canada and other countries.

The Gaza Strip is a coastal territory along the Mediterranean Sea bordering Egypt to the South West and Israel to the East and North. It is home to approximately 1.5 million people in a total area of just 360 square kilometers, making it one of the most densely populated regions in the world. Throughout Israel’s existence, the Gaza Strip has remained a controversial issue in the Middle East conflict and has been under the control of various groups in its history.

Starting in 1517, the area was controlled by the Ottoman Empire up until the First World War. In 1917, control of the strip shifted to the British, becoming part of the British Mandate of Palestine and under the authority of the League of Nations. British rule of the strip ended following the Israeli War of Independence in 1948, when Israel became a sovereign Jewish state. Following Israel’s independence, control of the strip was placed into the hands of the Egyptians. In 1967, during the 6 Day War, Israel invaded the Gaza Strip occupying it for 27 years until 1994 when the Oslo Accords were signed. The signing of the Oslo Accords transferred governmental control of the strip from Israel to the Palestinian Authority under the leadership of Yasser Arafat.

During the 27 year occupation, Israel created 21 settlements in the Gaza Strip comprising a population of just under 10,000 people. After the Second Intifada broke out in 2000 and tensions escalated in the coming years, Israel decided in 2005 to implement a unilateral disengagement plan from the Gaza Strip. All Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip were removed and all settlers were relocated to other parts of Israel.

After the disengagement of 2005, the Palestinian Authority had complete administrative authority over the region. However, some claim the Israeli occupation is not over as it still controls many aspects of the strip. It controls activities that rely on transit through Israel as well as its airspace and territorial sea. It also controls immigration and emigration as well as imports and exports to/from Israel.

In 2006, Hamas won the legislative parliamentary elections, defeating their main rival Fatah. Hamas refused to recognize Israel or honour any previously made agreements between the Palestinian Authority and Israel. Less than a year later, fighting between Hamas and Fatah erupted and rockets were frequently fired at Israeli communities near the strip. Israel responded by targeting rocket-launching crews and terrorist infrastructure throughout the strip, but the rocket fire did not stop. By June 2007, the strip was completely overrun by Hamas which began to fully control the area, proclaiming itself the legitimate government of the Palestinian National Authority.

Following Hamas’ takeover of the Gaza Strip, the group continued its rocket fire on neighbouring Israeli communities. The group would smuggle explosives and supplies through underground tunnels from Egypt. In 2007 alone, 60 tunnels were uncovered and destroyed. In September of 2007, Israel declared the Gaza Strip a hostile territory and began cutting fuel and energy supplies resulting in power shortages. Escalation of violence continued, but in June of 2008, Israel and Hamas reached a 6 month cease-fire agreement. Although the agreement was in place, Hamas frequently violated the truce by continuing to fire rockets on Israeli communities. As the truce ended on December 19th, Hamas increased its rocket fire on Israeli communities shooting more than 50 rockets almost daily. Although few Israeli civilians were killed as a result of the rocket fire, hundreds were injured and thousands were treated for shock.

For almost a year, normal life in the neighbouring communities of the strip has been impossible. The Israeli government faced immense pressure to respond, leading to Saturday’s incidents.

On Saturday, December 27th, Israel launched Operation Cast Lead against Hamas targets throughout the Gaza Strip. In response to almost daily rocket fire from terrorists in the strip, Israel unleashed over 50 fighter jets and helicopters dropping more than 100 bombs on 50 targets in a span of just a few minutes. Over 200 Palestinians, most of them Hamas personnel, were killed in the first day of Israel’s aerial offensive, making this the largest Israeli offensive in the strip since the 6 Day War in 1967. Israeli defense minister Ehud Barak said the IDF was preparing to expand the scope of the operation to include ground troops. “If boots on the ground will be needed, they will be there,” he said. Israel’s Prime Minister Ehud Olmert made clear that the offensive will not end until residents of the South can live without fear from rocket fire. The Israeli operation has three goals: To stop Hamas rocket attacks, to stop the smuggling of weapons from Egypt into Gaza and to thwart Hamas military activity in the Strip.

Over 300 Palestinians have been killed and more than 1000 injured up until now, the 3rd day of the operation. Let’s not forget though – the days before the ceasefire agreement ended, Israel asked Hamas to agree to an extension, but they refused. An end to the violence is not yet in sight.

There are 3 major paths Israel can take in an attempt to weaken Hamas and limit their ability to fire rockets on Israeli civilians:

1) Sanctions – One way Israel can deter Hamas from firing rockets is to enforce a full-blown siege on the territory. The rationale would be that by increasing the hardship of Gazan’s, they would compare themselves to the Palestinians in the West Bank who relatively speaking, are well-off as a result of trade with Israel. Such conditions would rally support for an uprising against Hamas. However, it has become increasingly apparent that sanctions have little effect on Hamas. In fact, some argue that the sanctions Israel has placed on Hamas and the Gaza Strip up until this point has only rallied support for group. Sanctions have also brought about international condemnation which has negatively affected Israel’s public image.

2) Limited Force – By using force conservatively, Israel can quickly move into parts of the strip such as the Philadelphia Corridor and cut Hamas off from the supply tunnels to Egypt. They can also target rocket launching crews in an attempt to deter such attacks. The problem with such a strategy is that it will involve a high risk of casualties on the Israeli side and will likely not stop Hamas rocket fire. After all, Israel has been using limited force against Hamas for the past year with no success.

3) Full-blown Invasion – Israel can take over the Gaza Strip with superior firepower and effectively destroy Hamas. The problem with this alternative is that it would cost many Israeli lives and civilian casualties would be high. As well, Hamas might kill captive Gilad Shalit. And after conquering the strip, Israel would have the problem of resuming the occupation which it ended in 1994.

There’s no doubt Israel will be under intense pressure to implement alternative 3, especially given the federal elections that are set to take place in February. Polls have indicated that the majority of Israeli’s are fed up with the situation in Gaza and want to see major military action take place. It also indicated that the right wing Likud party will win the majority of seats in the upcoming election.

So what’s Canada’s stance on the recent flare in violence? They support Israel’s offensive. Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Lawrence Cannon insists “Israel has a clear right to defend itself against the continued rocket attacks by Palestinian militant groups which have deliberately targeted civilians.” Harper has also placed the blame on Hamas calling on them to halt their rocket fire and extend the ceasefire agreement. He has also criticized the fact that Hamas purposely targets civilians while Israel does its best to avoid civilian casualties. Similarly, Bush is backing Israel and issued a statement demanding Hamas to stop firing rocket immediately and has placed the onus on Hamas to prevent further violence.

In contrast, the EU and UN called for an immediate ceasefire agreement to halt the violence and condemned Israel’s aggression. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called Israel’s air strikes “excessive force” and demands Israel to ease their blockage of the strip.

In all likelihood, the end of violence between Hamas and Israel will not end in the near future. Israel’s political leaders seem more determined than ever to cripple Hamas and have much to prove after a disappointed war with Hezbullah in 2006. Expect the Israeli offensive to continue in the coming weeks and for Israel to introduce ground troops into the frenzy.

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Tags: air strike, gaza strip, hamas, israel, Terrorism

This entry was posted on Monday, December 29th, 2008 at 7:15 pm and is filed under Terrorism. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.