Israel maintains option for ground offensive in Gaza

[USAcommitteeX]

Five mortars landed in the Neve Dekalim settlement in the southern Gaza Strip late Sunday night. No injuries were reported, and some homes were damaged in the attack. Palestinians also fired an anti-tank missile at an IDF position in Rafiah Yam near the border with Egypt. There were no injuries and troops returned fire.

Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz declared Sunday that the Palestinian Authority has turned into a two-pronged leadership, with Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) and Minister of Internal Security Mohammed Dahlan on one side and Yasser Arafat and Jibril Rajoub on the other.

The sides are engaged in a serious confrontation, he said adding he believes that the Palestinian Legislative Council understands the US and Israel's stand on the issue. "We view Abu Mazen and Dahlan as partners in dialogue. Arafat is a terrorist leader," he told reporters when visiting the Yohanna Jabotinsky school in Be'er Ya'acov on Sunday morning.

Regarding the recent escalation in violence in the Gaza Strip, Mofaz warned that Israel maintains the option to launch a ground operation in the Gaza Strip. "Israel will exercise that right at the appropriate time," he said adding, "The IDF will continue to operate against Hamas and ticking bombs in light of the increasing terror threats."