Epstein Secrets

cus of decision-making grows rather than diminishes. This then encourages other Middle East leaders to accelerate their rush to Gaza while skipping Ramallah to court Hamas' leadership. This Qatari, Turkish, Tunisian, and Egyptian courting of Hamas has the unintended consequence of further eroding the s

that EFTA_R1_00462154 EFTA01976163 recently broke out in Israel and the Gaza Strip is that Hamas forced Israel's hand. Almost four years ago in Operation Cast Lead, the Jewish state pummeled Gaza in response to rocket fire into southern Israel. And for a time afterward, the rocket fire diminished. But it

one day from my hotel to the Israeli Foreign Ministry. The driver asked whether I would need him for the rest of the day. "If you can take me to Ramallah," I replied, "that would be great. Otherwise, no thanks." My driver's reaction was symptomatic of what I was hearing from many Israelis. "Ramalla

e of EFTA_R1_00463827 EFTA01977325 course too large, and this could change in an instant, but right now the casualty rate is much lower than in Operation Cast Lead. And yes, of course, much smaller than the numbers from the American drone war in Pakistan. Hamas, of course, is trying to maximize civilian

to come out of hibernation in the West Bank. An Israeli leadership that has successufully bottled Hamas up in Gaza and a Palestinian leadership in Ramallah that has rooted Hamas out of Palestinian institutions over the past five years will hesitate to allow Hamas to come out into the open there. Of cou

gical next step in Tehran's effort to keep a check on Israeli threats to strike the Iranian nuclear program. In early January 2009, in the midst of Operation Cast Lead, Israel EFTA_R1_00464360 EFTA01977744 learned that Iran was allegedly planning to deliver 120 tons of arms and explosives to Gaza, includin

was trying to do for the Palestinians what Ben-Gurion had done before 1948. He and I met and talked often but discreetly — sometimes in his office in Ramallah, sometimes in mine, sometimes over dinner in the 31*-floor flat I was renting in central Tel Aviv. I remember one dinner in particular. I led him ont

lasting cease-fire and, ideally, prevent Hamas from resupplying its rocket stockpiles through its smuggling tunnels from the Sinai. When we launched Operation Cast Lead on the morning of December 27, nearly all the Hamas forces were where we’d expected them to be. Two waves of air strikes, with over a hundred je

was trying to do for the Palestinians what Ben-Gurion had done before 1948. He and I met and talked often but discreetly - sometimes in his office in Ramallah, sometimes in mine, sometimes over dinner in the 3 1st -floor flat I was renting in central Tel Aviv. I remember one dinner in particular. I led him

lasting cease-fire and, ideally, prevent Hamas from resupplying its rocket stockpiles through its smuggling tunnels from the Sinai. When we launched Operation Cast Lead on the morning of December 27, nearly all the Hamas forces were where we'd expected them to be. Two waves of air strikes, with over a hundred je