Israel Escalates: Says Gaza Goal Is Not Ceasefire

Ground Invasion Seems a Foregone Conclusion

The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting on the escalating Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip today, but with the US standing in their way, no resolution is likely calling for a halt to the strikes.

Nor does Israel want one, and Israeli officials say that the goal is no longer a new ceasefire with Hamas. “We don’t want a ceasefire,” declared Israeli envoy Ron Prosor, saying rather “our goal is to dismantle Hamas’ rocket infrastructure.”

That’s a nebulous mission, and one that doesn’t seem particularly forwarded by bombing civilian homes, but reflects Israel’s comfort with escalating more and more, as the Hamas rocket fire, while a great talking point for hawks, is doing virtually no damage to Israel itself.

Israel continues to mobilize more and more troops for a ground invasion of the tiny strip, which seems less speculative and more like a matter of time at this point. President Shimon Peres said yesterday that such an invasion could happen quite soon.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.