Observers and analysts agree that the Israeli policy of using the Gaza crossings as a pressure card on the Palestinians isn’t something new but it is being practiced today to escape from a military escalation and confrontation with the resistance in Gaza.
In the light of its strict siege on Gaza for more than 14 years Israel realizes that this worn-out policy doesn’t work doesn’t undermine the resistance in Gaza and at the same time doesn’t provoke public opinion.
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) closed on Saturday 23/4/2022 Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing and Karm Abu Salem commercial crossing in the north and south of the Gaza Strip until further notice. The IOF prevented workers and merchants from crossing or entering goods supplies fuel and building materials into Gaza claiming that the act was in response to the firing of rockets. According to the Hebrew media the decision to reopen the crossings will be examined according to military security assessments.
The Israeli army radio considered the measure an unprecedented step by Israeli military leadership instead of launching a military strike on Hamas targets and sites.
Escaping confrontation
The political analyst Ayman Al-Rafati opines that Israel’s fear of engaging in a new confrontation with the Palestinian resistance in the Gaza Strip has made it resort to exploiting the improvements and economic understandings as a pressure card on the Palestinians.
Al-Rafati explained in a statement to the PIC that Israel is being drawn into a real confrontation with the Gaza Strip in the context of several data most notably the shake-up of its government the fear of losing the political future of Naftali Bennett and the return of Netanyahu.
And the Israeli Channel Seven published news that Israel is considering reopening the Erez crossing and returning things to the way they were after only one day of closure.
According to the analyst Al-Rafati the Israeli tendency to reopen the crossings after only one day of closure is for fear of the resistance factions igniting the fire again which Israel does not want in the current period.
Tighten the siege
Political analyst Iyad Al-Qarra believes that Israel is trying to play the pressure cards on the Gaza Strip which prevents it from going into a military confrontation with the Strip.
Al-Qarra thinks that closing the Gaza crossings will not last indicating that this stems from several factors; most notably avoiding going to a military confrontation in the current period at least and avoiding the return of the resistance to use various tools to force the occupation to return to abiding by economic agreements.
The political analyst points out in a statement to the PIC that it is not in the interest of Israel to strain the Gaza front as much as possible in the context of the tense situation in the West Bank Jerusalem and the interior as well.
