Israel Resumes Assault On Gaza To Avoid Defeat

Tehran, Aug 24, IRNA - Israel resumed its onslaught on the Gaza Strip after truce talks in Cairo collapsed, wrote Sundayˈs edition of ˈIran Dailyˈ. Political analyst Mohammad Ali Basiri believes that Israel opted to continue attacks on the Palestinian territory in order to salvage its reputation. The following is a translation of Basiri’s comments about the war on Gaza. What’s Israel’s motive for attacking the Gaza Strip? The resistance front has been engaged in fighting the Takfiri terrorists in Iraq and Syria and Israel seized the opportunity to restore its reputation, which has been damaged in the previous wars, and fulfill its hegemonic objectives in the region by waging a new conflict against the Gaza Strip. The Israeli authorities believed that they can disarm Palestinian resistance movements like Hamas and the Islamic Jihad through a limited war and pave the way for the rule of the Palestinian Authority on Gaza. But soon after the military aggression, the Israelis realized that they made a gross miscalculation. But resistance groups this time gave a more crushing response to Israel’s offensive and made more demands in the face of the Israeli side. They set certain conditions for a permanent truce. They said the blockade on the Gaza Strip must be lifted, border crossings must be opened, and the coastal enclave must have an international airport and a port. This put Israel in a thorny dilemma. On one hand, Tel Aviv failed to attain its political and military goals and on the other hand, found that the Resistance strengthened its position and made more demands. As a result, Israel would be a loser whether it continues the blitz or cease it. Moreover, Israel is under domestic pressure because of the economic crisis and in order to divert its public opinion from economic hardships, it seeks to continue the war in the hope of winning it or at least imposing its demands on the Palestinian side. What is the most important obstacle in the way of a truce? The issue can be looked upon from the historical point of view. Israel repeatedly violated previous truce agreements in the past decade. This has made Palestinians to come to the conclusion that Israel cannot be trusted. That’s why many Palestinians believe that the will lose the game if they seek reconciliation with Israel. Therefore, they see the continuation of resistance and fight as the only way to protect their rights against Israel’s aggression and atrocities. How do you see the trends of developments in the region? After the wave of Islamic Awakening swept through the Middle East and North Africa, Israel felt deep concern over its security. At the outset, developments heralded a change of balance in favor of the Muslims but in practice, the tide was derailed due to the intervention of Western countries and the lack of leadership. Israel, with the help of its Western allies, managed to channel the trend of developments into Islamic countries where people rose against their rulers. Now these countries are grappling with ethnic conflicts that are being fueled from abroad. The point is that the developments in these country will greatly affect the axis of resistance against Israel./end