Newsflash: Israel's leaders have met to discuss what to do about Gaza!

(This report is dated 0945 Israel time, October 18, 2018)

On October 17, 2017, Israel's leadership met to discuss attacking Hamas (see yesterday's post, below). Our leaders met for more than 5 hours (here). After the meeting, none of Israel's leaders had anything to say. 

That silence meant only one of three things: first,Israel had decided to attack Hamas; or, alternatively, Israel had decided not to attack ; or, possibly, to make no decision, but to alert the IDF, in some way, to get ready to act. 

Today, the morning of October 18, 2018, Israel's political leaders appear to be still scratching their collective heads over what to do about violence against Israel coming out of Gaza. Israels' IDF (Israel Defence Force) still seems less than eager to take advice from its titular head, Israel Defence Minister, Avigdor Liberman. Liberman has wanted the IDF to attack Hamas immediately (here). But the IDF won't do it. Instead, it's sticking to what it's already declared: it's better prepared to fight than ever before (here).

For many in Israel, such talk doesn't 'cut it'. Many Israelis want more. They want the fence rioters, the fire-kite launchers and the missile launchers bombed--yesterday.

Meanwhile, as those same Israeli leaders were meeting to discuss options in Gaza, a report appeared in Israel that Egypt had successfully brokered a cease-fire between Gaza and Israel (here). However, this report also said that nothing had been corroborated by either Egypt or Israel (ibid). The news report said nothing about Hamas' opinion on this matter.

When this report came out October 17th, no one knew if it was true--or if, as some suspected, it was a fake report floated by Israel as a way to give Israel's leaders an excuse not to act. Certainly, at least one reader commented on this hesitancy to act against Hamas by calling Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the 'Appeaser-in-Chief'. 

That could be a too-harsh judgment. But it's the kind of epithet that's been hurled at Netanyahu in reader comments for weeks.

Now, as of October 18th, an early morning report hit the news wire: there's a Palestinian news outlet in London, England that says a group in Gaza called, the 'Supreme National Authority of the Marches of Return and the Lifting of the Blockade'--the name given to the 6+-month long rioting at the Gaza-Israel border fence--has decided to reduce confrontations for at least 'the coming days' ("Report: Gazans to reduce  confrontations at the Gaza fence", arutzsheva newsbriefs, 07:26am Israel time, October 18, 2018). 

Apparently, Israel's leaders were off the hook. They didn't have to act. Their previous decisions--to target Hamas infrastructure as a simple punishment for pushing the rioting too far--appears to have worked, at least for the moment.  Hamas has been persuaded to back off--for now.

This may not be good news for Netanyahu. Israel's opposition is increasingly condemning him for inaction, for 'talking tough with empty threats'. It remains to be seen if this 'backing off' at the border fence means anything good for Israel. 

Will Netanyahu be the hero or the fool for holding back the IDF? Stay tuned.