Israel May Expand Military Offensive in Gaza Strip

JERUSALEM – Israel plans to expand its military offensive in the Gaza Strip and will decide soon on what kind of operation it will conduct, Prime Minister Olmert said Monday.The military offensive will not lead to an Israeli reoccupation of the coastal area it pulled out of last year, Mr. Olmert was quoted as telling lawmakers at parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. Officials said the goal of an offensive would be to prevent arms smuggling along the porous Egypt-Gaza frontier.“There is no doubt that we have to take steps to reduce the ability of the Palestinians to fire rockets at Israel and smuggle in weapons,” but no decision has been made on exactly what to do, Mr. Olmert said later at a Cabinet meeting, according to a participant.The participant, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release information to reporters, said Mr. Olmert specified that Israeli action would “minimize humanitarian problems.”Israel has been fighting in Gaza since June, when Hamas terrorists there carried out a cross-border raid, killing two soldiers and capturing a third.However, the army has largely avoided acting in the border area with Egypt – going in last week, the first time since its withdrawal last September.Recently, Israel said that arms smuggling across the border has increased significantly.The Gaza Strip also has faced continued unrest.Palestinian gunmen kidnapped Roberto Vila, a 34-year-old Spanish aid worker Monday near the southern town of Khan Younis, the latest in a string of abductions of journalists and other foreigners in the chaotic territory.There was no immediate indication of who the kidnappers were or what they wanted.Tawfiq Abu Khoussa, a spokesman for Fatah, led by President Abbas, denounced the abduction. “We are ashamed by such acts,” he said, calling for the aid worker’s immediate release.Palestinian police also said a man was killed and two other people wounded when an Israeli tank shell hit a house in northern Gaza. The Israeli military had no immediate comment.Prime Minister Haniyeh said any additional military operations in Gaza, specifically along the border with Egypt, would be a “dangerous escalation.”Mr. Olmert also told the parliamentary committee that he would consider allowing Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to beef up his security forces with troops stationed in neighboring Jordan.Palestinian officials said Saturday that Mr. Abbas wants to bring in the forces ahead of a possible showdown with the rival Hamas militant group.Israel has objected in the past to letting members of the Jordan-based Badr Brigade enter Palestinian areas. But on Monday, Mr. lmert told lawmakers he would consider allowing such a move, said Ran Cohen, a member of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.“If the addition of a military force will not hurt our security, then this will be considered favorably,” Mr. Olmert was quoted as saying. He did not mention the Badr force by name.Clashes have been intensifying in recent weeks between Mr. Abbas’ Fatah Party and forces loyal to Hamas. The violence, concentrated in the Gaza Strip, has left more than a dozen dead and raised fears of a larger conflict.Israel has boycotted the Hamas-led government since it took office in March, but supports the more moderate Mr. Abbas, who was elected separately.The international community has said it will not lift the sanctions unless Hamas recognizes Israel, accepts past peace agreements and renounces violence – demands the militant Islamic group has rejected.

Israel May Expand Military Offensive in Gaza Strip

Israel May Expand Military Offensive in Gaza Strip

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