Opinion

Israel’s dilemma

Even as Israel boasted impressive military gains against Hamas in Gaza, it struggled yesterday to maintain the original, limited goals of its operation.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Cabinet approved the mobilization of 75,000 reservists — enough for a major land invasion of Gaza. But that was mostly a signal to Hamas that much pain awaits Gazans if their leaders keep firing rockets at Israel.

In devising the goals of Operation Pillar of Defense, the Cabinet rejected ambitious ideas like forcing regime change in Gaza (which would require invading the strip’s major cities), or even permanently ending the missile threat (which would require occupying the Rafah area and battling Egypt, which rules it).

Instead, the idea was to achieve a couple of years — even months — of calm. “We need to restore our deterrence capabilities and eliminate Hamas’ long-range missiles,” Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman told Israel’s Channel 1 TV last night.

And so, the Israeli Defense Force killed Hamas’ military commander Ahmed Jaabari on Wednesday, and followed up with a major aerial and naval assault on Gaza’s arsenal of long-range missiles.

But Israel by and large achieved its modest goals in the first 48 hours of the operation — yet Hamas refuses to cry “uncle.”

Yesterday, the IDF killed the commander of Hamas’ anti-tank unit, Abu Jalla. Officials also disclosed the IDF destruction of eight Gaza hangars where the locals (with Iranian backing) were trying to build drones.

Hamas took major hits, but it wasn’t knocked out. Hundreds of short- and mid-range missiles remain and were shot at Israel’s southern cities all day.

Some longer-range ones, too: One fell in the sea near Tel Aviv, another near Jerusalem, triggering air-defense sirens in the capital for the first time in 40 years.

Israel’s elaborate defenses, including Iron Dome (the US-backed anti-missile system), minimized the damage and significantly improved the country’s ability to sustain this asymmetrical warfare.

But how long will this go on?

That now depends on Hamas.

Desperate to show “success,” Hamas spread false rumors yesterday about hitting an Israeli F-16 fighter jet and IDF drones. Gazans celebrated these “victories” in the streets, even while dreading the misery awaiting them if Israel invades.

Meanwhile, Hamas continued launching missiles — 70 of them yesterday afternoon, after the IDF paused its firing for an hour while Egypt’s prime minister, Hisham Qandil, conducted a solidarity visit in Gaza.

In Cairo, President Mohamed Morsi started hinting that Egypt might end all relations with Israel for its “crimes” in Gaza. Nevertheless, leaders in world capitals looked for him to negotiate a ceasefire.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon plans to visit Tel Aviv and Cairo on Tuesday. And Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyep Erdogan intends to visit Cairo today.

Erdogan, a long-time Hamas supporter, may also pop up in Gaza. Rather than calm hotheads there, such a visit will likely increase Hamas’ desperate search for blood — either in Israel or in Gaza itself.

To date, the IDF has managed to minimize civilian casualties in Gaza, preventing an unfair but inevitable world chorus pontificating against “disproportionate” Israeli response to terrorism.

Fear of such rebuke was one reason Netanyahu set modest goals for the military operation. Government spokesmen say that if Hamas asks a cease-fire, they’ll weigh the request.

But Hamas is badly hurt and its leaders are desperate. Morsi, Erdogan et al. either can’t or won’t force Gaza’s rulers to accept defeat in order to prevent further bloodshed.

Wouldn’t it be great if there was an influential world leader with enough clout to lean on Cairo and Ankara to convince Hamas to cry uncle? Say, in a white house somewhere near the Potomac?