Underground Wall

From USA Today:

"Two years after Gaza war, Israel wants underground wall to block another war"

As the second anniversary of the Israel-Gaza war nears,  the Israeli government is taking an extraordinary step to avert a new war with Hamas militants who govern the Palestinian strip. Israel recently announced plans to build an underground wall along its 37-mile border with Gaza to thwart Hamas' sophisticated underground network of tunnels and bunkers. Hamas, which said Gazans are gearing up for the next war, used tunnels to smuggle weapons, supplies and fighters to attack Israel during the 50-day conflict that began July 8, 2014. The Ministry of Defense refused to comment on details or timelines for the new plan, but the Israeli military did lift the gag order on the project as the country prepares to mark the anniversary. “The purpose is to keep Hamas deterred, and we are minimizing their ability to build up their forces while trying to improve the financial situation in the (Gaza) Strip,” military intelligence director Herzi Halevy said last week. He said Hamas is in dire financial straits and not interested in another round of war, but Gaza is continuing to train and bolster its military forces. Ismail Haniyeh, leader of Hamas in Gaza, announced earlier this year that Palestinian militants “are digging tunnels to defend Gaza and turn it into a launch pad for all of Palestine.” He said Gazans are “prepared to go without bread and water, but will not live without respect." Construction of the concrete barrier will cost $570 million and stretch dozens of miles below and above ground, according to the Israeli Ynet news website.  The underground wall will replace a wire fence in place since 2005, when Israel withdrew from Gaza. Israel’s border with Gaza has remained relatively quiet since Hamas and the Israeli government agreed to a truce ending the war. But the military said Hamas resumed building its underground infrastructure, and at least two new tunnels were discovered in the past year. Likewise, when Israel developed its Iron Dome air defense system that can intercept rockets fired from Gaza, Hamas militants shifted their efforts underground, expanding their tunnel network to transport weapons and launch attacks on Israel. The Israeli army has also spent more than $330 million in the past two years on developing an underground sonar detection system as a defense against the tunnel threat, security analyst Yossi Melman wrote last month  in the Israeli newspaper Maariv. Hamas vowed to outsmart Israeli attempts to deter its attempts to infiltrate Israeli soil. The Israeli government said this week that it intercepted a package at the Gaza border containing wetsuits allegedly en route to the Hamas naval commando unit.

^ This makes sense for Israel. In the last major attack 2 years ago they proved they  could protect their skies with the Iron Dome and now they are going to secure their ground (well underground.) The Israelis keep working hard to protect themselves against Hamas (and every other enemy) and they deserve the up-most respect from other countries. The only way a 2 state solution will come forward is by the Palestinians rejecting terrorism (ie Hamas)  - especially since their tactics haven't worked in over 60 years - and install a government that will recognize and work with Israel rather than against them. ^

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/06/22/israel-hamas-gaza-strip/86173362/