As taken from Haaretz
The past week's flare-up in the territories has done serious "strategic damage" to Hamas, in the view of Israeli Military Intelligence. MI officers believe that the firing of dozens of Qassam rockets at Sderot and the kidnapping and murder of Sasson Nuriel in Ramallah have only bolstered Israel's case against Hamas contesting Palestinian parliamentary elections until it disarms.
A senior military source told Haaretz that in his opinion the Hamas leaders had been wrong in their judgment all week. The mistakes began with the Hamas' insistence on holding a military parade with a lot of explosives in a densely populated part of Jebalyah, continued with the negligence that caused an explosion in which 19 Palestinians were killed, and culminated with the decision to lie to the Palestinian public, blame Israel for the explosion and start firing rockets at Sderot.
When Hamas leaders realized the damage incurred to them in Palestinian public opinion, they said they would stop firing the rockets, despite the fact that this was seen as surrendering to Israel.
Nuriel's abduction caused the Hamas further damage. The video cassette showing a bound Nuriel strengthened the Hamas' image as a terrorist organization that acts like al-Qaida in Iraq, just when the Hamas is making efforts to get itself off the list of terror organizations. MI sources say that Israel's retaliation to the shelling of Sderot has so far been accepted by the world with understanding.
The IDF believes the Hamas was pushed into a corner this week, and its maneuvering space has reduced just when it seemed that it was going to capitalize on Israel's pullout from the strip.
The MI's conclusion, which fits in with the cabinet's position, is that Israel must keep pressuring the Hamas. As long as the Qassam fire does not cease completely - the last shooting to date was Tuesday evening - the IDF must continue its air strikes and roundups of dozens of Hamas and Islamic Jihad activists in the West Bank.
Although it is doubtful whether Hamas can be disarmed, Israel expects that the organization will soon have to decide whether to stop its attacks or be renounced in the political arena.
This dilemma is already raising an internal debate in Hamas. Its Gaza Strip leadership is under pressure both from the public objection to the renewed fighting with Israel and from Israel's threats to assassinate Hamas leaders. The organization's Damascus leadership is taking a harder line, due to Syrian President Bashar Assad's expectation that the Palestinians resume terror acts.
The MI expect the Hamas, at least in the Gaza Strip, to start restraining its military wing.
Major General Yisrael Ziv, head of the IDF Operations Branch, threatened yesterday that Israel would turn Beit Hanoun into a "demilitarized zone" if any Qassam rockets are fired from there into Israel. Ziv said the IDF will allow no more terror attacks from the Strip even if it has to shoot artillery shells into populated areas to stop it.
MI: Gaza escalation has weakened Hamas' standing
The past week's flare-up in the territories has done serious "strategic damage" to Hamas, in the view of Israeli Military Intelligence. MI officers believe that the firing of dozens of Qassam rockets at Sderot and the kidnapping and murder of Sasson Nuriel in Ramallah have only bolstered Israel's case against Hamas contesting Palestinian parliamentary elections until it disarms.
A senior military source told Haaretz that in his opinion the Hamas leaders had been wrong in their judgment all week. The mistakes began with the Hamas' insistence on holding a military parade with a lot of explosives in a densely populated part of Jebalyah, continued with the negligence that caused an explosion in which 19 Palestinians were killed, and culminated with the decision to lie to the Palestinian public, blame Israel for the explosion and start firing rockets at Sderot.
When Hamas leaders realized the damage incurred to them in Palestinian public opinion, they said they would stop firing the rockets, despite the fact that this was seen as surrendering to Israel.
Nuriel's abduction caused the Hamas further damage. The video cassette showing a bound Nuriel strengthened the Hamas' image as a terrorist organization that acts like al-Qaida in Iraq, just when the Hamas is making efforts to get itself off the list of terror organizations. MI sources say that Israel's retaliation to the shelling of Sderot has so far been accepted by the world with understanding.
The IDF believes the Hamas was pushed into a corner this week, and its maneuvering space has reduced just when it seemed that it was going to capitalize on Israel's pullout from the strip.
The MI's conclusion, which fits in with the cabinet's position, is that Israel must keep pressuring the Hamas. As long as the Qassam fire does not cease completely - the last shooting to date was Tuesday evening - the IDF must continue its air strikes and roundups of dozens of Hamas and Islamic Jihad activists in the West Bank.
Although it is doubtful whether Hamas can be disarmed, Israel expects that the organization will soon have to decide whether to stop its attacks or be renounced in the political arena.
This dilemma is already raising an internal debate in Hamas. Its Gaza Strip leadership is under pressure both from the public objection to the renewed fighting with Israel and from Israel's threats to assassinate Hamas leaders. The organization's Damascus leadership is taking a harder line, due to Syrian President Bashar Assad's expectation that the Palestinians resume terror acts.
The MI expect the Hamas, at least in the Gaza Strip, to start restraining its military wing.
Major General Yisrael Ziv, head of the IDF Operations Branch, threatened yesterday that Israel would turn Beit Hanoun into a "demilitarized zone" if any Qassam rockets are fired from there into Israel. Ziv said the IDF will allow no more terror attacks from the Strip even if it has to shoot artillery shells into populated areas to stop it.