Source: Ha'aretz
Nov 22, 2006
Israel's security cabinet on Wednesday ordered the IDF to expand localized military operations against Gaza-based terrorist rocket crews, but denied the army permission to launch a full-scale invasion of the area.
Top military leaders and security-minded government ministers have been recommending for weeks and months that the IDF fully invade Gaza and crush the terrorist infrastructure Hamas and other groups are building there before it is too late to take such action.
Some are even starting to suggest that the army may need to reestablish a permanent presence in Gaza. Retiring generals have openly admitted that last year's withdrawal from the coastal strip was a mistake.
With that failure becoming ever more apparent to the average Israeli, the government is predictably trying to avoid the kind of escalation that would highlight its bankrupt policies.