Incendiary balloons .. Will Israel pay to ease the blockade of Gaza?

Raed Musa - Gaza

The past few days have witnessed the resumption of firing booby-trapped balloons from the Gaza Strip at Israeli settlements and settlements located within the scope of the so-called "Gaza envelope", adjacent to the security fence separating the eastern sector.

The return to launching these balloons comes after stopping for a few months in the framework of "understandings" sponsored by Egypt and Qatar, and stipulates the cessation of the use of "coarse tools" that include night confusion and balloon bombing activities, in exchange for facilities to ease the blockade imposed on the sector 13 years ago.

Palestinian activists used these tools as part of the "Return March and Breaking Siege" activities, which started on March 30, 2018.

No factional decision
Officials at the Supreme Commission for Return Marches confirmed to Al-Jazeera Net that the resumption of the launch of incendiary balloons is not linked to a new decision by the authority, which includes national and Islamic action factions, but rather youth efforts to protest the procrastination and Israeli procrastination towards implementing the easing of the siege.

Member of the Political Bureau of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine Talal Abu Zarifa told Al-Jazeera Net that what Gaza witnessed during the past few days regarding the launch of balloons comes in the context of "initiatives by young revolutionaries to protest against the occupation's denunciation of understandings of easing the siege and targeting farmers and fishermen."

Although there was no factional decision to return to using "rough tools", Abu Zarifa defended the right of the rebellious and angry youth to use all available tools and means to force the occupation to fulfill its obligations and address its crimes.

He stressed that it is impossible to accept the suffering of two million Palestinians in Gaza, while the occupation is avoiding calm understandings and measures to break the siege, and is benefiting from the state of calm without price.

Abu Zarifa said that Israel should pick up what he described as the spontaneous message from the revolutionary youth, and move towards the introduction of real and effective measures that the citizen in Gaza touched and that would reflect positively on his daily life.

Abu Zarifa denied what the Israeli media are talking about the "night confusion" units resuming their activities near the security fence east of Gaza, and said that "the activities were limited to firing incendiary balloons only."

Explosive devices
Israeli media had said that youths in Gaza threw dozens of explosive devices towards Israeli forces near the security fence in exchange for the site of the Queen of East Gaza City, and east of Al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.

Abu Zarifa said that Israel incites incitement, and what is published in its media is an exaggeration of the reality in Gaza and an attempt to recruit Israeli public opinion towards any step of escalation that it might take against Gaza.

The writer and political analyst Hani Habib set the return for the launch of incendiary balloons in the framework of a Palestinian message from Gaza to Israel, according to which the resumption of the use of "coarse tools" remains in the event that Israel does not abide by its obligations that included "calm understandings" mediated by the Egyptian Qatari.

Habib said to Al Jazeera Net that the Supreme Commission for Return Marches has committed to the understandings, and finally decided to stop the marches starting from the beginning of this year, provided that its activities are resumed monthly instead of weekly starting from late March next, and all protest activities stopped completely at the time that Israel has not committed to facilities to ease the blockade.

He added that the firing of incendiary balloons is a message to the Israeli government that the difficult reality in Gaza cannot continue and cannot be tolerated, and the Gaza factions are aware of the confused internal situation in Israel and are seeking to take advantage of it with serious messages to achieve gains related to breaking the siege.

On the possibility of Israeli escalation in response to the incendiary balloons, Habib ruled this out, saying, "The internal situation in Israel and the preoccupation with the new elections do not bear a large-scale military operation, but Benjamin Netanyahu may resort to a limited and deliberate escalation in fear of his fall."

He explained that the facilities are very sensitive for Netanyahu, who is facing internal pressure, and therefore he is afraid to introduce extensive facilities, and he will limit himself to the limited facilities without "a great resonance", and he invokes the advice of the military and security levels in order not to bear the responsibility alone.