THE FINAL CONFRONTATION: WILL THE ISRAELI ENDGAME START WITH AN ATTACK ON THE GAZA?

It’s become fairly obvious to most observers that the Israeli ploy as far as the Gaza is concerned has been to pressure and provoke the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to the point that their fighters react to the Israeli aerial and ground attacks and the ghettoising of the Strip. This will then provide an excuse for the Israelis to invade with the aim of ostensibly destroying Hamas, who the Israelis see as a ‘terrorist’ organisation, and ultimately driving all Palestinians from the Gaza on the basis that any Palestinians there will always be a security threat to Israel.

The Israeli propaganda and rhetoric places the blame for the suffering of the Gazan people on Hamas claiming that Israeli actions against the Gazan people is as a result of Hamas attacking Israel. The reality, however, is that Hamas is attacking Israel in an effort to stop Israel from attacking the Gaza in the first place and to get the Israelis to lift their blockade of the Gaza.

But the endgame for the Israelis is not just the ethnic cleansing of the Gaza; indeed, the invasion of the Gaza will only be a prelude to what Israelis see as the final confrontation with their arch-enemy, Iran. The Israeli hope is to coordinate their invasion of the Gaza Strip with an attack on Hezbollah which will be provoked by some action, real, or far more likely, imaginary or false flagged, that Hezbollah undertake against Israel. All-out war between Israel and Hamas and Hezbollah, so the Israelis hope, will then draw in Syria, then US, and then, hopefully, Iran who will be accused of supplying and arming Hezbollah in Lebanon.

As each stage of their march toward their final confrontation with Iran progresses the Israelis will, as always, present themselves as the victims; a role which has now become transparently obvious to the entire world. But, despite the transparency, Western governments will, as usual, acquiesce to Israeli demands that the rest of the world rush to protect Israel’s interest.

For years Israel has been playing a waiting game; a game whereby they simply bide their time waiting for all of the right circumstances to align in their favour and at that moment they will then strike. The George W. Bush administration with its massive neoconservative sub structure has provided the best opportunities yet for the Israelis to get their way in the Middle East but as yet the administration has failed to provide the Israelis the ultimate prize – the destruction of Iran as a competitive Middle East power that has so far prevented Israel from being able to vanquish their foes, Hamas, Hezbollah and Syria who are supported by Iran. There have been a few false starts, with the Second Lebanon War having been one of them, but time is now running out.

Despite now being a lame-duck president, Bush, one should be reminded, is still the Commander in Chief of US armed forces and he still has powers to wage war against anyone he sees as an enemy. Bush regards Iran as an enemy and Israel are keen to finalise their endgame with a final confrontation with Iran. The Gaza ploy may well be the springboard that Israel is looking for in order to realise that final confrontation.