IDF given green light in Gaza

By Aussiegirl

Only time will tell, and I hope that Doug Hanson is right, but my own gut feeling is that withdrawal from Gaza was a terrible mistake. This will prove to be either a stragetic piece of genius, or a terrible blunder.

The American Thinker: "Sharon's orders to the IDF show the rationale for the withdrawal of Israeli settlements from the Gaza Strip. Rather than a retreat in the face of terror, the evacuation of Israeli citizens now allows for a full-blown military response on terrorist cells operating in the strip.

Sharon also said that the IDF actions were not "a short-term action, but a policy that must lead to the cessation of the terrorist organizations' actions against Israeli communities. I am certain that it is within our ability to halt the terrorist organizations' actions against us. The activity will not only be in Gaza but will also be against terrorism in Judea and Samaria."

Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza are in tactically unsound position. They no longer have a ready-made hostage population to leverage; they are surrounded by the IDF on two sides and by the Mediterranean Sea on the other. The only way out is into the Sinai, but this route could be cut off by the IDF seizing Rafah and Khan Yunis. Sharon�s Gaza maneuver may finally settle the Gaza issue once and for all. Unfortunately for the terrorists, it�s not the outcome they had hoped for."