Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Amir Peretz, and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi remained reluctant to authorize a wide-scale ground operation targeting terrorist infrastructure inside the Gaza Strip, and preferred to discuss pinpoint tactics, Army Radio reported.
Prior to the meeting, Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman (read his JPost.com blog) declared that Olmert had only two choices: disband Hamas, or disband the government. In the cabinet meeting, Lieberman indicated he would pull his Israel Beitenu party out of the government if it didn't take tough action against Hamas, including assassinating its leaders and ordering the reoccupation of the Philadelphi corridor to stop the smuggling of arms to terrorists.
"Either Hamas is going to be dismantled, or the government is going to be dismantled," he was quoted as saying. "This is not an ultimatum, but these are the options." The strategic affairs minister said the time had come "to stop making declarations and threats, and to engage in hard operations, daring operations, unconventional operations." He stressed that he was not talking about individual operations, but "a total and absolute dismantling [of Hamas], the creation of a completely different situation."
Olmert would still have a majority in parliament without Israel Beitenu's 11 seats, but a split would leave his governing coalition on shakier ground. Sources close to Olmert said in response to Lieberman's ultimatum that the strategic affairs minister was a dog who barked, but did not bite.
Earlier Sunday, Olmert opened the weekly cabinet meeting by declaring that Israel would be forced to step up operations in Gaza if the current military and diplomatic steps proved ineffective.
Like current military and diplomatic steps have proven just sooooo effective in the last 12 months. If the Lieberman makes good on his bark and it resonates with the Israeli voters - we may be witnessing the beginning of a major hemorrhage for the Kadima government.
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