With no diplomatic agreement on the horizon that would end the fighting in Gaza, Israel will have to decide in the coming days whether to send ground forces back into Gaza, largely for the purpose of pushing the rocket and mortar launchers further away from the border, which would provide greater security for Israeli communities near the border. Unlike the previous ground incursion, which was aimed at destroying Hamas' attack tunnel infrastructure, the goal of the next one will be to reduce fire at Israeli communities near the border. In recent days, Hamas has focused its fire on these communities. The daily average of more than 100 launches toward Israel has not changed, but Hamas' dwindling supply of medium and long-range rockets has led it to shoot more short-range rockets and mortars. This change of behavior by Hamas could be narrowly interpreted as an Israeli success. Hamas' main assets have been hit and it is now firing in a crazy manner, desperately hoping to achieve any sort of accomplishment. Add to this the executions of "collaborators," many of whom, by the way, were arrested months ago but were only now shot to death, and one sees a picture of an organization under heavy external and internal pressure. But one must also take a broader view. This weekend's events also affected the Israeli side. The decision of Nahal Oz residents to leave their homes reflects a lack of confidence in the state. After 47 days of fighting (in reality, 14 years under fire) and the death of 4-year-old Daniel Tregerman, who can blame them? In their covenant with the state, they promised tenacious resilience, but the state has not supported them in return. In Israel's modern wars, in which the homefront is a second front, taking care of civilians must be a primary concern. Recent events indicate that Israel has not learned the necessary lessons from the summer of 2006 (the Second Lebanon War), when Arkady Gaydamak had to help residents of the north get out of firing range. This time, it is the Kibbutz Movement that deserves a citation for its effort to absorb residents of the south on northern kibbutzim. But this philanthropic initiative cannot be a replacement for government action. The government should already long ago have held a work meeting on the situation in communities near the Gaza border. Also, Finance Ministry officials should visit these communities and pay them not only the compensation for November 2012's Operation Pillar of Defense, which they have not received in full yet, but also generous advance compensation for Operation Protective Edge. Also, Education Ministry officials should be there to offer practical solutions ahead of the start of the school year, Economy and Trade Ministry officials to give aid to businesses and Housing and Construction Ministry and Interior Ministry officials to advance housing construction and promote the area as place to live. In other words, the Western Negev region must receive A+ priority status. This should be manifested, first and foremost, in security, i.e., the physical presence of troops in the communities for a prolonged time period and intense military actions to suppress the fire from Gaza until calm is achieved.
