Thursday night, Islamic Jihad, an Iran-backed group based in Gaza, fired rockets at the area around Tel Aviv; the IDF responded promptly with airstrikes, and the rocket-fire soon ceased. Hamas, which governs Gaza, canceled the weekly Friday border riots out of apparent eagerness to avoid a confrontation with Israel. Meanwhile, Gazans have begun protesting their declining standards of living and lack of freedom, leading Hamas to suppress the demonstrations with live ammunition, arrests, and beatings. Eyal Zisser writes:
Iran, which controls [Islamic Jihad] and its leaders, and which gives it money and provides it with the type of missiles used in Thursday’s attack, is directly responsible. Iran doesn’t hide its desire to spark a conflagration in Gaza with the aim of sabotaging and even halting Israel’s efforts to dislodge
the Islamic Republic from Syria. The Iranians also want to embarrass Israel . . . by exploiting the fact that this is a sensitive period, ahead of the upcoming April 9 general election.Hamas, however, is also responsible for the missile attack, because it hasn’t taken action against Islamic Jihad and other recalcitrant groups in Gaza, which continue targeting Israel. Hamas lends a hand to the escalation along the border [in the form of weekly riots and the launching of explosives carried by kites and balloons] as a matter of routine, hoping to improve its negotiating position with Israel and to receive aid dollars from Qatar.
In this regard, the missile attack [near Tel Aviv] indicates the collapse of this conception and essentially of the illusion—created by Hamas and Israel alike—that it’s possible to control the flames Hamas is fanning along the Gaza border and prevent them from spreading. At the end of the day, those who shoot at Israeli communities near Gaza will also shoot at Tel Aviv.
Read more on Israel Hayom: http://www.israelhayom.com/opinions/iranian-fingerprints-in-gaza/