Gaza escalation tied to J’lem clashes, officials say
Rockets from Strip continue following barrage on Friday night • Gantz: If calm is not kept, Gaza will suffer
The escalation in Gaza, in which terrorists launched almost 40 rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory during the weekend, is tied to the ongoing riots in Jerusalem in which far-right Jews and Arabs clashed throughout the week, security officials said over the weekend.
Gazans launched 36 rockets into Israeli territory in the night between Friday and Saturday, and another two on Saturday night before press time. Seven rockets were intercepted. In retaliation, an IDF tank attacked a Hamas outpost and IAF aircraft struck rocket launchers during the night.
Security officials believe that a further upsurge in violence in Jerusalem could lead to an escalation in the South — and vice versa — while calming the clashes in the capital could stop the deterioration of the situation in Gaza.
They also believe that Hamas has lost control of the situation, as there was no intention by Hamas to ignite the situation to this extent with Israel. Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other “recalcitrant organizations,” as they are known in the security establishment, fired most of the rockets.
Most of the rockets landed in open fields, were fired from short ranges and were not aimed at major civilian areas, which could also indicate that there was no intention to further escalate the situation.
On Saturday afternoon, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kohavi held a security assessment meeting with senior officers, as well as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Benny Gantz, Public Security Minister Amir Ohana, Mossad Chief Yossi Cohen, National Security Council Chief Meir Ben-Shabbat, and Israel Police Chief Kobi Shabtai, among others, at IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv.
Gantz said on Saturday that if the quiet will not be kept on the Gaza border, the Strip will be “severely hit – in its economy, security, and from the civilian perspective.”
Speaking after the situation assessment meeting, Gantz said “the equation is very clear to them [Hamas]. The IDF is ready for the option of further escalation, and we will do anything we can to keep the situation calm.”
Netanyahu said afterward that he instructed security chiefs in the meeting to prepare for all scenarios with Gaza.
“We also heard an overview of the situation from the chief of police,” Netanyahu said. “We want, first of all, to ensure law and order. We are protecting freedom of worship as we do all year long, for all residence and visitors in Jerusalem. We now demand that people follow the law and I call for calm on all sides.”
Kohavi instructed the army to prepare for a possible escalation.
The first three rocket
in a war in Gaza: Operation Protective Edge. It also led to widespread rioting in Jerusalem that damaged parts of the infrastructure for the light rail in Beit Hanina and to a massive March on Kalandiya checkpoint that resulted in some 287 injuries and two Palestinians killed.
SO WHERE ARE we today? Hamas and Palestinian groups in Gaza have vowed solidarity with Jerusalem.
The dozens of rockets fired on Saturday morning – the most fired in months – are an escalation. The rocket fire is reminiscent of the increase in 2019 that led to some 2,600 rockets being fired at Israel in two years from 2018 to 2019. Around 1,000 of those were fired in 2018.
In November 2019, Israel launched an assassination airstrike against an Islamic Jihad leader. That escalated to further airstrikes, including a strike in Syria that Russia revealed that November 20.
The current tensions are not yet in a cycle like that, involving international repercussions. However, the US State Department has put out a statement about the recent clashes and the far-right march in Jerusalem. America’s concern comes amid discussions about a new or renewed Iran Deal and the planned trip of high-level Israeli security officials to Washington.
The situation is also not like the “stabbing intifada,” a wave of lone-wolf violence from 2015-2016 that led to numerous attacks and the killing of knife-wielding Palestinians. This is because the current clashes have not yet involved terror attacks by Palestinians.
But this does not mean that what is happening is not serious. The linkage of Jerusalem to Gaza and the demands by Hamas to get involved not only in the tensions, but also the Palestinian elections, are a precursor to more tensions.
Hamas and Palestinian factions also want there to be Palestinian elections next month, with voting in east Jerusalem. Elections cannot be held if the Palestinians in Jerusalem can’t vote, the factions say. This could give them an excuse to heat up violence in Jerusalem as a way to cancel the elections or try to force Israel’s hand.
It is not yet clear what trajectory and shape this violence will take. The emergence of hundreds of far-right Israelis chanting anti-Arab slogans this past Thursday has led to a laser focus on Jerusalem. The police have tried and succeeded to reduce tensions.
But the month of Ramadan brings other considerations. Clashes at Kalandiya checkpoint on Friday evening represent the type of wave of clashes that can spread. In Israel’s favor, the country has learned how to prevent deaths as in past clashes.
It is worth considering that the current clashes also come after a year in which the global pandemic mostly helped keep people home and quiet. Under health regulations, there were no large marches, religious events, or far-right rallies that can spark more tensions.
That isn’t the case now, however, because of Israel’s vaccination campaign. The determining factor now is whether agendas in Ramallah, Gaza and Jerusalem may heat up or reduce tensions. And Israel still lacks a new coalition government, which also gives wind to the flames of extremism and chaos because Israel’s parties also cannot seem to agree. •
FATAH IS running in the parliamentary election under three separate lists: one dominated by Abbas loyalists; a second led by Nasser al-Kidwa (a nephew of former PLO leader Yasser Arafat) and Fadwa Barghouti (wife of jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti); and a third belonging