PALESTINE: Bombing Gaza, the consolation prize for Israel

17 Palestinians killed in Israeli shelling in Gaza and 6 Israelis injured, one seriously, by about 100 rockets that Gazan militants used to respond to the attack. It was easy to expect all this to happen, and for more than one reason. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned from the United States empty-handed after trying in vain to convince an Obama who hates him to join an attack on Iran in the midst of his campaign for reelection. Netanyahu, very used to get exactly what he wants and to have United States bowed to him, to Israel and to his “right to defend itself”, he had to fly back to Israel with a huge tantrum and the need to keep the issue of Iran´s threat alive so nobody starts thinking about the creation of a Palestinian state or other topics that are not in his interest.

                And how to canalize the anger and to keep exploiting the fear of the terrorist threat? Using the usual scapegoat:  Gaza. Israel set on fire the border by carrying out two targeted killings on two militant leaders on Friday, knowing that the answer would come in the form of dozens of missiles aimed at Israeli civilians living near Gaza, in the middle of the Purim Holiday. So far, 17 Palestinians have been killed, including a 12 year old boy and a 52 year old man today. The reason to attack Gaza, the same as always: "These militants were planning terrorist attacks." What a coincidence that the terrorists decide to act just now.

Now that Israel needs to show its power. Now that it needs to keep alive the terrorist threat, and now that Hamas leadership in Gaza was approaching the PLO, expressing his intention to abandon violence and putting distance between it and Iran. In fact, it has been the Popular Resistance Committees and Islamic Jihad who have claimed responsibility for most of the rockets launched into Israel since Friday. "A peaceful Hamas? No thanks, lets provoke them to see if we can force them to become violent again, because they are very handy when it comes to continue using “our right to defend ourselves against terrorists" and to divert attention whenever we need it without anyone criticizing us, especially now that it has become clear that we cannot bomb Iran. "