Olmert threatens Gaza escalation

Israel threatened stepped-up military strikes in the Gaza Strip unless Palestinian cross-border rocket salvoes were stopped.”If the measured steps that we are taking in the political and military sphere do not bring about the desired calm, we will be compelled to intensify our response,” Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told his Cabinet ahead of security discussions Sunday.While Jerusalem officials have hinted that a major ground sweep could be ordered against Hamas and other terrorist strongholds in Gaza, surveys show that many Israelis would oppose such escalation. Ha’aretz reported that the Cabinet’s agenda would include a proposal to allow in foreign peacekeepers to prevent arms smuggling into Gaza from neighboring Egypt.Olmert praised the recent campaign of air strikes by Israeli armed forces that has destroyed several Hamas compounds and killed at least 15 of the dominant Palestinian faction’s gunmen and rocketeers. “Hamas’ people are paying a very heavy personal price for these attacks on the residents of Sderot and outlying communities,” Olmert said, referring to southern Israeli towns that have suffered Hamas rocket strikes.