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Source: http://www.bitterlemons.org/issue/isr2.php
Rafah, Gaza, and Unilateral Disengagement
(bitterlemons.org) Dan Schueftan - There are many, notably within the security community, who are mainly concerned lest the image of Israel fleeing the territories encourage more terrorism. The Rafah operation is intended not only to strike at terrorists, but primarily to enhance Israel's capacity to deal with them following its departure from the Gaza Strip. The byproduct of a resolute operation in Gaza is a message to the Palestinians that Israel is determined in its struggle against terrorism and is creating the conditions that will enable it to meet this challenge for as long as it takes. The offensive against Palestinian terrorism will persist, to demonstrate that terrorism has set Palestinian national objectives back rather than allowing Palestinians to dictate Israeli policy. The writer is a senior fellow at the National Security Studies Center at the University of Haifa.