BICOM

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Southern Israel yesterday to confer with military leaders, visit the wounded and reassure community leaders about the end of the ground operation in Gaza.

“The battle in Gaza continues.” Mr Netanyahu said. “What is about to end is the IDF’s treatment of the tunnels, but this operation will end only when quiet and security are restored for Israeli citizens for a prolonged period.”

Mr Netanyahu and Defence Minister Ya’alon met with Southern mayors and announced that a senior official will be appointed to head of a socio-economic development agency for Gaza border communities. Ya’alon further announced that the IDF would help increase security in those towns. The Mayor of Ashkelon requested the CCTV cameras to spot infiltrations.

Some border communities were not reassured, and worried that the withdrawal of IDF troops would mean a return to the intermittent rocket fire like in previous conflicts.

In a surprising move, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has suggested that Gaza be transferred to United Nations control. At the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Mr Lieberman suggested a UN mandate for Gaza on the models of Kosovo and East Timor. Mr Lieberman said that this outcome would be better than a ceasefire in which Israel acceded to Hamas’s demands, and better than a prolonged low-intensity conflict in the South with no agreement.