Israeli leaders to discuss suspending Gaza op for 48 hours ~ Reut R. Cohen

Aftermath of a kassam attack.

A picture drawn by a child in Sderot which vividly shows what children in Sderot have been dealing with for years.

Despite that rockets into Israeli cities have not ceased, some Israeli officials are discussing the prospect of a ceasefire. The IDF issued a statement suggesting that a ceasefire is not feasible and that the continued targeting of Hamas sites in the Gaza Strip is necessary.

The Jerusalem Post reports:

Officials in the defense establishment have recommended to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to suspend military operations against Hamas in Gaza for 48 hours and during that time to review a number of possible ceasefire solutions for Operation Cast Lead.

Senior Israeli ministers were reportedly set to discuss the proposal Tuesday night. According to reports, if the unilateral ceasefire were to fail, Israel would launch a ground offensive.

Olmert reportedly opposed suspending the operation while Defense Minister Ehud Barak was weighing the idea.

The recommendation, disclosed by defense sources on Tuesday evening, came after Barak spoke with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner earlier in the day.

The IDF issued a statement that it was not recommending a ceasefire.

The defense establishment is suggesting that Israel use the suspension of operations to carefully study Hamas's intentions; whether the group was planning to escalate the violence by renewing attacks inside the country or whether it would opt to stop its rocket attacks against the South altogether.

It was possible that Operation Cast Lead, the massive bombardment of Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip launched Saturday, had already made clear to Hamas that the "rules of the game" had changed and that Israel will no longer tolerate rocket fire against its civilians, the unnamed defense establishment officials said.

France, which suggested the temporary suspension of operations, was the first non-Arab country to call for Israel to halt the operation, its president calling using Israel's use of force "disproportionate."

According to security officials, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner called Barak on Monday asks for a 48 hour "humanitarian suspension" of Operation Cast Lead against Hamas in Gaza, which has killed over 300 Palestinians, mostly uniformed terrorists, so far.

Barak turned down Kouchner's suggestion, saying there was no need for a humanitarian pause because the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza was open for several hours every day.

On Tuesday Kouchner called again and reiterated his proposal, but this time Barak said he would check with the 'triumvirate' - the limited security forum comprised of Olmert, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Barak himself.

On Tuesday, Barak had good reason to reconsider Kouchner's suggestion: Defense officials expressed skepticism that Hamas - a terror group that thrives on violence - would use the window of opportunity offered by Israel to recuperate after four days of punishing air strikes. Continued Hamas rocket attacks would then give Israel legitimacy for the second stage of the operation, which could include ground troops entering the Gaza Strip.

Furthermore, by agreeing to 48 hours of unilateral ceasefire, Israel would leave Hamas on edge as to when exactly it would launch the second phase of Operation Cast Lead.

Also, inclement weather is predicted for Wednesday and Thursday - not optimal conditions for either ground or air assaults.

Despite the IDF disclaimer earlier Tuesday there were different opinions within the security establishment, the officials said.

A Hamas spokesman said Tuesday evening that the Islamist terror group is conditioning a cease-fire on an opening of Gaza's borders.

The spokesman, Mushir Masri, spoke after news broke of the Israeli defense officials' recommendation.

Masri said an end to the fighting was not enough. He said that if Israel halted "the aggression and the blockade, then Hamas will study these suggestions."