Israel to refrain from immediate response to Qassam attacks
By Aluf Benn, Avi Issacharoff and Amos Harel Last update - 06:00 16/05/2007
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/860045.html

Israel has decided to refrain from immediately responding to Tuesday's
rocket attacks, government sources said.

The decision follows an assessment shared by Israeli defense officials and
Palestinian security sources, according to which Hamas is trying to provoke
a fight with Israel in the hopes that an Israeli military response would
calm the Fatah-Hamas fighting by uniting the two against a common enemy.

Hamas fired at least 21 Qassam rockets at Sderot and the western Negev
Tuesday, against the background of another day of fierce factional fighting
between Hamas and Fatah in the Gaza Strip, which left at least 15
Palestinians dead.

The rockets wounded 26 people, including one woman who was moderately to
seriously hurt and a man who was moderately hurt. Most of the others
suffered from shock. As a result of the barrage, the public bomb shelters in
Sderot were opened for the first time.

Hamas openly claimed credit for the strikes and announced it plans to
continue them.

According to Israeli government sources, the current rules of engagement in
Gaza will remain in force, but if the Israel Defense Forces spots specific
targets that exceed these limits, it will be able to ask Prime Minister Ehud
Olmert and Defense Minister Amir Peretz for special approval for a strike.
Consequently, a slight but not major escalation in the IDF's offensive
operations is likely, security sources said.

In addition, the diplomatic-security cabinet will meet this coming Sunday to
discuss Israel's policy toward Gaza. That forum will discuss various options
for intensifying military activity against the Qassam launches, but is not
expected to approve a large-scale ground operation.

The existing guidelines permit the assassination of those involved in making
or launching rockets, limited ground incursions into the area just over the
Gaza-Israel border and attacks on anyone seen preparing to launch a rocket.

The barrages on the Negev began Tuesday afternoon, but the first rockets did
not hit Sderot until 6:30 P.M. One of those rockets struck a house and
wounded the occupants, a 44-year-old mother - who was moderately to
seriously wounded - and her four-year-old daughter. Three other houses also
took direct hits.

Hamas said the barrage, the heaviest since Independence Day, was fired to
mark Nakba ("Catastrophe") Day, the anniversary of Israel's establishment.
Palestinians mark this day according to its Gregorian date, May 15, while
Israelis use the Hebrew date.

Meanwhile, officials in Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah
party complained to European officials yesterday that they lack sufficient
arms and ammunition to fight Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Fatah's complaints come against the background of a debate within Israel's
security establishment over to what degree Israel should help Fatah in its
internal struggle against Hamas by allowing transfers of arms and ammunition
to it from third parties. Thus far, Israel has refused to do so, despite
America's urging.

There are three approaches to this issue within the defense es tablishment.
One holds that Fatah is indeed at a disadvantage, because Hamas has smuggled
in massive quantities of arms, while Abbas tried - and, due to Israel's
opposition, failed - to obtain weapons through legal channels. Therefore,
Israel should help him.

A second holds that Hamas has already won in Gaza, so there is no reason for
Israel to get involved. A third argues that any additional weapons brought
into Gaza will ultimately most likely be used against Israel, so arming
Abbas's forces would be a mistake.

Security sources said this debate is still raging. In any case, no urgent
request for arms transfers has yet been received from Abbas.