Israel's objective in current Gaza conflict?

A very interesting insight into the current conflict in Gaza today on RTE’s Morning Ireland.

David Landau of Haaretz, a credible journalist and commentator (well at least by RTE standards), was presented with a series of loaded questions which reflected the anti-Israeli preconceptions which are common in RTE, and the Irish media and population in general. (many of which I share when Israel is clearly heavy handed – with often fatal consequences for Palestinians).

Landau’s analysis of what Israel’s actual objective might be was very interesting.

The 2006 IDF invasion of Lebanon has been widely regarded as a military defeat for Israel and a victory for Hezbollah. However, that conflict ended with the insertion of an international monitoring force which has created an effective buffer zone. As Landau put it, since that particular conflict ended “not even a bow & arrow has been fired at Israel from Lebanon”. So the actual outcome was, however unexpectedly, quite favourable for Israel.

If Landau is correct, Israel is seeking to create a post-conflict situation in Gaza which mirrors that which now pertains on its Lebanon border. So the sooner the UN and/or EU puts such a proposal on the table the better.