The world has tired of Israel's Orwellian insistence that it is surrounded by nations that are bent on its total destruction. The tactic used is that for some reason or another it feels that its position of power is unstable. By convincing their constituents that it is in constant danger of attack, Israel is able to behave in ways that would otherwise be deemed impermissible. The most recent aerial assault on Gaza and the subsequent threat by Israel's Deputy Prime Minister Silvan Shalom that the military would soon launch a new offensive on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip unless the rocket fire was halted are examples of such fear-mongering. “...we will have to raise the level of our activity and step up our actions against Hamas,” Shalom told Israeli public radio. Hamas, of course, is a convenient bogeyman as the group certainly does not look upon Israel with any hint of fondness. It is also regarded as a terrorist organization by Israel's principal ally, the United States. But since the Israeli assault on Gaza a few months ago Hamas has made a concerted effort to halt the pointless launching of missiles from Gaza into Israeli territory. The efforts have not been entirely successful but all indications are that Hamas is not behind nor does it endorse the continuation of the missile attacks. Israel may not like it but Hamas is the effective government in Gaza. If Israel is seriously interested in putting a halt to the rocket attacks, it would behoove it to respect Hamas's efforts to curtail the rocket attacks and not, once again, threaten collective punishment for the behavior of rogue elements in Gaza. If, however, the Netanyahu government is interested in frightening its citizens into a constant and never-ending fear of war, it will attack Gaza, again, promulgate even more resentment and hatred in Gazan residents, and prolong the missile attacks. __
