The sudden barrage of mortars and Kassam rockets fired by the Palestinians from the Gaza Strip last week was not a prelude to the disengagement.

It is the price Israel is paying for the current leadership dispute between Fatah and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Hamas, angered at a court decision in Rafah which nullified the results of municipal elections in three precincts where Hamas candidates won, was eager to flex its muscles. The easiest target was the Jewish settlements in Gush Katif.

The IDF had expected this shower of mortar shells and Kassam rockets. The fact that it was able to observe a mortar squad in real time and then strike it from the air reveals just how much progress the IDF has made in addressing this elusive threat. It also shows the enormous gap between the primitive, homemade weapons in the hands of the Palestinians and the advanced, lethal technology of the IDF. That said, it is extremely difficult to detect all the mortars.

The army released footage of Palestinians firing a mortar on Gush Katif. According to the IDF, the decision to fire a missile at the mortar team came only after it was observed that Palestinian police standing nearby did nothing to halt the mortar squad and thus allowed the so-called cease-fire to be violated.

Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz´s orders to the IDF were to continue striking at any attempt to launch attacks on Israelis, but also to contain the conflict.

This round of conflagration was not a harbinger of things to come when the disengagement begins in August. The IDF is way ahead of the game and its plan of operation is based on shaping reality, not reacting to it. At the drawing board stage, it was determined that the Palestinians would likely abandon all cease-fire agreements and do their utmost for the pullout to be carried out "under fire." Bearing this scenario in mind, the IDF is planning to preempt the Palestinians. It has allocated tens of thousands of troops to reconquer large swaths of the Palestinian areas from which an attack could be launched at the evacuees.

Likud MK Yuval Steinitz´s call Thursday for a "Defensive Shield" type operation in Gaza was premature. The massive army action in the Gaza Strip will come, but on the IDF´s terms. In the meantime, the policy is not to take measures that will upset the cease-fire, but to reply decisively to terrorist attacks.

For the moment, however, the initiative remains in the hands of Hamas. (© 1995-2005, The Jerusalem Post 05/22/05)