The continuing barrage of Kassam Rockets on Israel’s border town is pushing Ehud Olmert the Prime Minister of Israel to do what he doesn’t want to do. As Olmert gears up for a possible summit meeting in November with the head of the Palestinian Authority Abu Mazen the last thing he wants is to tell the Israeli army to enter the Gaza strip.

 He may have no choice.

 The rockets that fell yesterday on the Israeli border town of Sederot narrowly missed hitting a daycare center that was full of toddlers. If that center had been hit the Israeli army would have been in the Gaza as I type these words. This full scale operation may happen at any time if and when a Kassam rocket finds a target and causes considerable damage and loss of life. Olmert hopes he can postpone this inevitable incursion until after the summit for a number of reasons. His political standing at home is very weak to say the least and peace talks of any kind stand to boost his image somewhat. The army itself may be slightly hesitant as it may not of completely readied itself from a intelligence point of view for an attack on the Strip. This complete information gathering would limit causalities if and when the incursion occurred. The other loose end is the security situation in northern Israel and the possibility of the outbreak of hostilities with the Syrian army. Israel would not want to be fighting a two or even three front war. This hesitation may be a costly and deadly one as a modern version of Russian roulette is being played out in Sderot.

 Olmert has literally tied the hands of the Israeli Army in the interim as most of the schools on Sderot have been closed because of the rocket attacks. The Head of the opposition Former Prime Minister Benjimin Netanyahu was highly critical of the lack of response to the wanton attacks by the Israel government. He was quoted as saying that the military needs to act and that the paralysis of Olmert would lead to much worse conditions for an incursion that will happen sooner or later.

 Many Israelis are traumatized by anything that has to do with the Gaza strip as Israel it seems has been going in and out of the strip since 1948. To top that off a unilateral exit from the strip 2 years ago was promised as a window of opportunity for southern Israel.

 
This hasn’t happened.

 What’s going to happen now?

 
Anybody’s guess.