IDF Gaza Response Authorized

Israeli cabinet approves new security measures in light of latest border incidents:

With the US breathing heavily down Israel's neck to ease up on the blockade of the Gaza Strip, the security cabinet convened Wednesday and discussed ways to allow more goods and material into the area without endangering Israel's security.

This discussion was part of a larger conversation on the situation in the Gaza Strip, including the foiled terrorist attack near the Karni crossing earlier this week, and the fate of kidnapped soldier Gilad Schalit.

Following the meeting, a statement was issued that read, "Israel views Hamas responsible for all aggressive actions against Israel coming from the Gaza Strip. The cabinet directed the IDF to respond to all aggressive actions against Israel from Gaza."

Regarding Schalit, the security cabinet - in its first announcement on him since Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu appointed Hagai Hadas two weeks ago as his envoy on the matter - issued a statement saying the "relevant authorities" have been directed to do everything to bring about his release.

Including Schalit in this statement seems a strong signal that negotiations for a prisoner swap, dormant since former premier Ehud Olmert's last ditch effort to hammer out a deal in his final days of office, may once again be in the offing.

Regarding the Gaza border crossings, this - along with the settlement construction and two-state issue - was one of three major sticking points between Israel and the US during Netanyahu's visit to Washington last month. US officials made clear to Netanyahu that they were unhappy with what they considered to be "foot-dragging" on the opening of the crossings into Gaza, and the reconstruction of the area, and wanted to see more movement on the issue.

The issue was also raised by US envoy George Mitchell in his meetings in Jerusalem on Tuesday. The US has made clear it wanted to see more goods and materials allowed into Gaza to enable reconstruction.

Nevertheless, defense officials continue opposing bringing concrete and steel into the Gaza Strip, arguing that it would be used not only to reconstruct buildings, but also to construct arms smuggling tunnels and rebuild Hamas' rocket building capacity.

US, UN and European efforts to put together a mechanism that would enable goods and material into the Gaza Strip without strengthening Hamas have so far been unsuccessful.

Defense Minster Ehud Barak, meanwhile, continues to maintain that there is no humanitarian crisis inside the Gaza Strip. At a cabinet meeting two weeks ago he said that more material was entering Gaza now than was the case during the cease-fire that existed there last year.

Netanyahu said at that meeting that Israel was "continuously asked to make things easier for the population in Gaza, to let in materials and equipment, but we have security interests there." He said that a balance needed to be found between "making things easier for the population and making it harder for Hamas to gain more weapons."

That sentiment was reflected in the statement issued after Wednesday's meeting. "The security cabinet," the statement read, "was studying additional ways to make things easier for the Palestinian population inside the Gaza Strip, while maintaining Israel's security interests.