The refusal of Hamas in Gaza to accept the peace talks proposed Monday by the Egyptian government, briefly accepted by the Netanyahu government in Israel, is — in the minds of the Hamas leadership — a victory over their enemy.
The Israeli bombardment of the Palestinians has proven a policy failure, demonstrated by the Israeli government's resumption of bombing. The Israelis tried to get an agreement, but failed.
Forty thousand Israeli military reservists had been alerted in recent days, meant as a threat of ground invasion of Gaza. Reports say the military command opposed new ground operations because of the damage suffered from guerrilla harassment in withdrawing from the Cast Lead operation in 2008-2009, as well as the casualties suffered in Lebanon during Israel's 1982 invasion and long occupation of Hezbollah-controlled South Lebanon, eventually causing Israeli popular opinion to demand withdrawal. An Israeli officer is quoted as saying that the problem posed by a ground attack into Gaza today is not the attack and operations inside Gaza, but in getting out.
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