SUSAN HATTIS ROLEF
These days our general situation seems to be immersed in at least three interwoven Gordian knots. One concerns the lingering fighting in the Gaza Strip and the prospect of the current border confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah turning into a full-scale war. The second concerns the ongoing political instability and growing social tensions inside Israel. The third, which I shall touch upon very briefly, concerns a needed overhaul of Israel-US relations.
It is generally believed that the only way a full-scale war in Lebanon can be averted, and a settlement of the border confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah can be resolved (at least for the time being) is by means of an agreement between Israel and Hamas. Since such an agreement seems unlikely, because Israel refuses to accept some of the conditions laid down by Hamas, which refuses to become more flexible in its basic demands, the outbreak of a limited or full-scale war in the North seems to be unavoidable.
The IDF is believed to be preparing itself for this apparently inevitable escalation in the North, and for this purpose advocates the de-escalation of its activities in the Gaza Strip as soon as it will end its current operation in Rafah, limiting them to occasional interventions when the need arises. The military is also concerned with the fact that under the circumstances it must significantly increase the annual enlistment of 18-year-olds, which turns it into an active participant in the battle about the enlistment of haredim (the ultra-Orthodox) to full military service.
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