They neither see nor remember. Amira Hass.

The security establishment was quick on Monday to boast of the success of its tactic of escalation against Gaza: Look, the number of Qassams declined. By the time these lines are published, the security establishment may spin another logical axiom: Since we renewed the supply of diesel fuel on a one-time basis, the Palestinians have gone back to firing Qassams. The conclusion: Continue the escalation. The logic of escalation is the middle name of the current defense minister, Ehud Barak, and many Israelis are adopting it.

Barak was prime minister in September 2000, when the Israel Defense Forces responded with escalation to popular demonstrations against the Israeli occupier and to the throwing of stones: lethal fire against civilians, among them many children. Not surprisingly, the Palestinians did not understand the lesson and turned to escalation tactics of their own. That is how we reached the point where we are now - homemade rockets of all kinds, which become even developed, the more Israel escalates its punishment measures in response to them.

Books, articles and one or two films have have already discussed, albeit tardily, the foolishness of the tactic of escalation. But that does not matter to those who support the application of more and more pressure on the 1.5 million residents of the Strip. This shows that they - like their defense minister and the rest of the political leadership - are suffering from four failings: amnesia, shortsightedness, disorientation and learning disabilities.

(snip)
Those who champion escalation ignore the fact that hermetic closure of all crossings into Gaza reminds the world what it loves to forget: Israel is the occupier. The aggressor. The learning disabled and the short-sighted do not see the moral - and not just security - bankruptcy of the escalation policy. Others will do that in their place.

(more)

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/947256.html
This was evidently written just before the walls came a tumblin' down between Gaza and Egypt. While that was a logical step to relieve the prospect of hunger and starvation for the people of Gaza, i fear that it will lead to ever more escalation on both sides, with the prospect of a very negative consequences for all.

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a people!

The High Court of Justice will hold an urgent hearing Sunday to discuss a petition filed by several Palestinian organizations against the reduction in Israeli fuel and gas shipments to the Gaza Strip, days after militants blasted open the territory's border with Egypt.

The court decided to hold the hearing in the waked of an additional petition for an injunction against the reduction in the supply of industrial-use diesel.

The fuel is needed to run Gaza City's power plant, which had shut down after Israel imposed a complete closure on Gaza last week, in response to rocket attacks. The petition was filed by a number of rights groups, headed by the Adalah Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel.

Israel canceled emergency shipments of fuel planned for Thursday, which it had initially promised earlier in the week.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/947605.html