A show of force leads to a backdown. Maybe the jihadists thought that the Gaza withdrawal manifested a failure of will on the Israeli side, just as Osama read Clinton’s post-Black Hawk withdrawal from Somalia. And maybe now they are being disabused of that notion. From the BBC, with thanks to Sr. Soph:
The Palestinian militant organisation Hamas has announced an end to rocket attacks on Israel from the Gaza Strip.
At least 30 rockets have been fired at Israel in recent days, following Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza earlier this month.
In response to the rockets, Israel resumed its policy of targeting militant leaders in air strikes.
On Sunday, an Israeli missile strike killed two Islamic Jihad militants, including a top commander.
At a cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon ordered “unrestricted” strikes against Palestinian militants.
Ceasefire
Announcing the end to rocket attacks, Hamas leader in Gaza, Mahmoud Zahar, said the organisation confirmed its commitment to a ceasefire which militants declared earlier this year.