Israel will not strike at Hamas

Israel will hold Hamas responsible for a deadly suicide bombing in Tel Aviv but will not hit back against the Palestinian Authority, officials say.

A special cabinet meeting ended with agreement to increase security efforts but not launch a military strike.

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At the present moment in time, this is the wise choice. At a time when international sentiment is rising against Hamas and Iran, we do not need an incident that results in the deaths of innocent Palestinians at the hands of an Israeli reprisal. The Israelis have a number of excellent options to them, incuding covert action based upon intelligence from disaffected members of Fatah who aren't getting paid anymore. And, they always hold the cards - they could easily decimate the Hamas government on a whim if they chose to.

I have always felt that the "tit-for-tat" violence between Palestinians and Israelis has done more to serve the interests of radical Palestinians than the Israelis. Sharon recognized this and brilliantly crafted a strategy that involved moving unilaterally to finalize and secure Israel's borders to be defensible. It also provides the Israelis with clear and unequivocal targets in the Palestinian territories should action be necessary.

The Israelis should stay the course - continue to dismantle undefensible settlements in the West Bank and build an effective border barrier that becomes its permanent national boundaries. Reprisals should be selective, highly accurate and strategically planned with international opinion in mind. The diplomatic and financial isolation of Hamas serves the Israelis better than the short term satisfaction of a military action that could leave innocents dead and flip international sentiment the other direction.