InfoAnda - Analysis: Gaza ground war wouldn't cure Israel's Hamas headache |

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

Will I be alive tomorrow, asks Japanese woman on Internet | | 12 March 2011
China indicts 21 people in July ethnic violence | 26 September 2009
WSJ, NY Times, USA Today developing Galaxy applications | 9 October 2010

Film producer sues over "Black Swan" | 24 December 2010

Forum Views () Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : Analysis: Gaza ground war wouldn't cure Israel's Hamas headache |

Edition: U.S. Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Home Business Business Home Economy Technology Media Small Business Legal Deals Earnings Social Pulse Business Video The Freeland File Aerospace & Defense Investing Simplified Markets Markets Home U.S. Markets European Markets Asian Markets Global Market Data Indices M&A Stocks Bonds Currencies Commodities Futures Funds peHUB Dividends World World Home U.S. Brazil China Euro Zone Japan Africa Mexico Russia India Insight World Video Reuters Investigates Decoder Politics Politics Home Supreme Court Politics Video Tech Technology Home MediaFile Science Tech Video Tech Tonic Social Pulse Opinion Opinion Home Chrystia Freeland John Lloyd Felix Salmon Jack Shafer David Rohde Nader Mousavizadeh Lucy P. Marcus Nicholas Wapshott Bethany McLean Anatole Kaletsky Zachary Karabell Edward Hadas Hugo Dixon Ian Bremmer Lawrence Summers Susan Glasser The Great Debate Steven Brill Reihan Salam Frederick Kempe Christopher Papagianis Mark Leonard Breakingviews Equities Credit Private Equity M&A Macro & Markets Politics Breakingviews Video Money Money Home Tax Break Lipper Awards 2012 Global Investing MuniLand Unstructured Finance Linda Stern Mark Miller John Wasik James Saft Analyst Research Alerts Watchlist Portfolio Stock Screener Fund Screener Personal Finance Video Money Clip Investing 201 Life Health Sports Arts Faithworld Business Traveler Entertainment Oddly Enough Lifestyle Video Pictures Pictures Home Reuters Photographers Full Focus Video Reuters TV Reuters News Article Comments (0) Full Focus Editor's Choice Our best photos from the last 24 hours. Slideshow Download our Wider Image iPad app Images of October Follow Reuters Facebook Twitter RSS YouTube Read Israel says prefers diplomacy but ready to invade Gaza | 3:31pm EST Obama offers praise, pressure on historic Myanmar trip | 11:24am EST Imported or homemade, Gaza's rocket arsenals bedevil Israel 9:56am EST Housing recovery gains traction 1:26pm EST American Music Awards hits ratings low, despite Bieber fever 2:32pm EST Discussed 163 Top Hamas commander killed in Israeli airstrike 150 Israel hammers Hamas in Gaza offensive 150 Egypt PM to visit Gaza in support of Hamas against Israel Pictures Reuters Photojournalism Our day's top images, in-depth photo essays and offbeat slices of life. See the best of Reuters photography. See more Best of the AMAs Highlights from the American Music Awards. Slideshow Gaza conflict Scenes from Gaza and Israel. Slideshow Sponsored Links Analysis: Gaza ground war wouldn't cure Israel's Hamas headache Tweet Share this Email Print Related News Israeli air strike kills 11 civilians in Gaza: Hamas Sun, Nov 18 2012 WRAPUP 8-Israeli air strike kills 11 civilians in Gaza -Hamas Sun, Nov 18 2012 Obama: "Preferable" to avoid Israeli ground invasion of Gaza Sun, Nov 18 2012 WRAPUP 2-Israel, Gaza fighting rages on as Egypt seeks truce Sat, Nov 17 2012 Israel hits Hamas buildings, shoots down Tel Aviv-bound rocket Sat, Nov 17 2012 Analysis & Opinion Escalating Gaza conflict Essential reading: How far can Obama push on key issues including tax increases, and more Related Topics World » Israel » Middle East Turmoil » Israeli soldiers stand near a mobile artillery unit after it fired a shell towards northern Gaza from its position outside the Gaza Strip November 19, 2012. Credit: Reuters/Amir Cohen By Crispian Balmer JERUSALEM | Mon Nov 19, 2012 1:49pm EST JERUSALEM (Reuters) - An Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip will not provide any long-term solution to the problem posed by the Islamist group Hamas, and this will make the government think long and hard before sending in the troops. After six days of intensive military strikes against the Palestinian enclave, which Israel says are needed to halt regular militant rocket fire, thousands of Israeli soldiers are massing on the border awaiting orders to attack. But aware that an assault on the densely populated coastal territory could backfire militarily and diplomatically, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will probably accept a ceasefire if he can draw half-decent terms from Hamas. "I have never believed in the notion of definitive solutions per se," said Einat Wilf, who sits on the Israeli parliament's foreign affairs and defense committee and is a member of Defense Minister Ehud Barak's Atzmaut party. "If there is the possibility to reach a reasonable situation, even if it is not an ideal one, where at least for a while Hamas no longer shells our towns and civilians, then this will be the course of the government," she told Reuters. However, the rightist coalition, seeking re-election in January, is facing strident calls from some of its allies for concerted action that could yet influence the decision. Moreover, any hopes in Europe that the conflict might help to revive moribund peace talks with the Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who is despised by Hamas for renouncing armed resistance, look certain to be dashed. Dreams that Israel might one day live in peace with all its neighbors have long since evaporated, and most Israelis seem to accept that their army, the most powerful in the region, will have to wage war regularly to defend their interests. Israel pulled its troops and settlers out of Gaza in 2005 but has ever since come under sporadic rocket fire from militants who refuse to recognize its right to exist and chafe under a tight blockade imposed by both Israel and Egypt. Looking to halt the attacks, Israel launched a three-week war at the end of 2008 that left 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis dead. After a lull, the rockets started shooting across the border again, infuriating southern Israeli communities. "FLATTEN GAZA" With the elections looming, Netanyahu felt compelled to send in the war planes. By Monday, Israel said it had carried out 1,350 air strikes against arms caches and other sites which have killed about 100 people, more than half of them civilians. Some of the prime minister's supporters say now is the time to plough into Gaza and stamp out Hamas once and for all. "We can buy time with small operations, but eventually we will have to deal with the main issue which is the downfall of the regime of Hamas," Danny Danon, the deputy speaker of parliament and a member of Netanyahu's Likud party, told Reuters. "I think we should postpone elections and bring down Hamas." Others are even more outspoken, such as the son of former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who is a newspaper columnist. "We need to flatten entire neighborhoods in Gaza. Flatten all of Gaza. The Americans didn't stop with Hiroshima. The Japanese weren't surrendering fast enough, so they hit Nagasaki, too," Gilad Sharon wrote in Monday's Jerusalem Post. Few if any in the military or intelligence establishment would ever propose such a course of action. They know that the radicalism in Gaza cannot be countered by bombs alone. "If worst comes to worst, we can (launch) a much wider operation in Gaza. But that is not going to really solve the problem," Yosef Kuperwasser, the director of Israel's Ministry of Strategic Affairs, told reporters last month. "There is a wide and deep problem of hate indoctrination that produces more and more terrorists all the time," he added, suggesting that more violence will only stoke the radicalism. IRAN AND EGYPT When deciding in the coming hours what to do, Netanyahu will also have to consider much broader concerns than just the tiny confines of Gaza. He will need to weigh up future relations with Egypt and also look to see where Iran fits into the picture. The election last year of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi in Egypt has lead to a seismic change in relations between Egypt and Israel. So far, their 1979 peace treaty is holding fast, but a bloody incursion into Gaza could yet alter that. Any upset in that crucial regional relationship, which has been a cornerstone of U.S. Middle East strategy, would be a boon for Iran and bolster the Islamic Republic in its stand-off with Israel and the West over its nuclear program. "An Israeli ground invasion would be very much in Iran's interest because first of all it would cause fantastic damage to Israel's international standing, particularly with Egypt," said Meir Javedanfar, an Iranian expert who teaches at the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) in Herzliya. "The place where Israel has to win the war against Iran and Hamas is in the soft power arena, not the hard power arena." Looking at the soft arena, European politicians have linked the violence in Gaza with the paralyzed peace process, arguing that the prospect of a better future might draw Palestinians away from militancy and undercut Hamas. The last direct negotiations between Israel and Palestinian leaders in the occupied West Bank broke down in 2010 over the issue of Jewish settlement building across the territory. President Abbas wants a vote in the U.N. General Assembly this month so the Palestinians can become an "observer state" rather than just a "entity" as at present, giving them more clout in world bodies and potential leverage over the Israelis. Israel is livid at this unilateral move and, whatever happens in Gaza, new negotiations seem far away. "The European view is disconnected from reality," said member of parliament Wilf. "I believe talks should be conducted only when you have a fairly good chance to succeed. I don't believe we are even close to a resolution now." (editing by David Stamp) World Israel Middle East Turmoil Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/ Comments (0) Be the first to comment on reuters.com. Add yours using the box above. Edition: U.S. Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Back to top Reuters.com Business Markets World Politics Technology Opinion Money Pictures Videos Site Index Legal Bankruptcy Law California Legal New York Legal Securities Law Support & Contact Support Corrections Connect with Reuters Twitter Facebook LinkedIn RSS Podcast Newsletters Mobile About Privacy Policy Terms of Use AdChoices Copyright Our Flagship financial information platform incorporating Reuters Insider An ultra-low latency infrastructure for electronic trading and data distribution A connected approach to governance, risk and compliance Our next generation legal research platform Our global tax workstation Thomsonreuters.com About Thomson Reuters Investor Relations Careers Contact Us Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests. NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.

Other News on Tuesday, 20 November 2012
Asia trip takes Obama White House into Myanmar time warp |
France eyes Middle East influence, image with Syria gamble |
Rwanda accuses Congo of shelling border town |
Analysis: Gaza ground war wouldn't cure Israel's Hamas headache |
Greek PM to reshuffle cabinet after new loan tranche: sources |
Tuareg rebels battle Islamists for north Mali town |
French right in chaos over contested leadership vote |
Ten European states agree military air tanker cooperation |
Aussie rockers AC/DC's music to be sold on iTunes |
Gaza truce pressure builds, Cairo in focus |
Tensions loom as Obama meets Asian leaders |
U.S. soldier enters no plea in 2009 Iraq shootings |
China appoints new top official for scandal-ridden Chongqing |
Pakistan dismisses blasphemy case against Christian girl |
U.N. court ruling expands Nicaragua's offshore rights |
Colombian rebels call truce as peace talks start |
U.S. says KBR boosted cost of trailers for troops in Iraq |
Nigeria violence story withdrawn |
U.S. ITC will review Apple, Samsung patent decision |
Google should not be accused of unfair acts: lawmakers |
Yahoo shares reach 18-month high as investors warm to new CEO |
Ex-Delta Force officer mixes special ops and data |
Unhackable telecom networks come a step closer |
Intel CEO to retire as chipmaker struggles with mobile |
International Emmys honor Lear, Alda, South American shows |
Jackie Chan: upcoming film will be last big action movie |
American Music Awards hits ratings low, despite Bieber fever |
Phillip Phillips looks at life beyond American Idol |
Charlie Chaplin's bowler hat and cane fetch over $60,000 at auction |
Actor Crowe to sell stake in South Sydney league club |
Attacker stabs guard at U.S. embassy in Tel Aviv: police |
Poland arrests bomb plotter linked to Norway's Breivik |
Assad troops fight to oust rebels from Damascus |
Argentina's Fernandez faces her first general strike |
Congo rebels claim control of city as Rwanda tensions rise |
Analysis: Hollande's softly-softly plan needs tough execution |
Frail Turkish ex-president appears in landmark coup trial |
Japan ruling party stands tough on territorial spat |
HP says discovered accounting failures at Autonomy unit |
BlackBerry maker wins vote of confidence ahead of BB10 |
HTC happy with Apple settlement, slams media estimates |
New start-up hubs challenging Silicon Valley: study |
Hitchcock trains lens on the love story of Alfred and Alma |
Lindsay Lohan, Liz Taylor and pages of what ifs for TV's Liz & Dick |
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph		BlogMeter 1.01