Following Tuesday's barrage of dozens of Kassam rockets and mortar shells on the western Negev area by Hamas terrorists, the top military and political echelons once again considered a large-scale offensive into Gaza.

Prime Minister Ehud OImert, Defense Minister Amir Peretz and top IDF officers and officials met on the topic for several hours today (Wednesday).  Following the meeting, Olmert announced that the army forces in the area of Gaza had been instructed to take the necessary steps to thwart kidnappings and attacks.  "Israel will not hesitate to take sharp action against those who attempt to strike out at our sovereignty by firing rockets, attempting to kidnap our soldiers, and in other ways," the Prime Minister said.

The head of the Shaar HaNegev Regional Council, senior Labor Party member Shmulik Rifman, had earlier called upon Prime Minister Olmert to "respond sharply" to the rocket attacks.  In a letter to the Prime Minister, Rifman writes, "Enough restraint in the face of the continued Kassams! I call upon you to respond sharply. Do not [despite the recent war in Lebanon] repeat the Sabra and Shatila syndrome [a reference to the fear to act militarily that overtook Israeli leaders following the events of 1982 - ed.]. The longer we wait, the more painful and complex it will be."

We must hold, forever, the area from northern Gaza to what was the Netzarim Junction - the area from which Kassams are fired at the western Negev and Ashkelon.
The IDF, whose tunnel-searching and local Kassam-thwarting operations have continued all the while, has long sought permission to carry out a stronger offensive against the terrorist infrastructure in Gaza.

Many military experts have long warned that a large-scale offensive in Gaza - along the lines of Operation Defensive Shield of 2002, in which dozens of terrorists in Shechem and Jenin were killed - will soon be necessary. Now, in light of Hamas warnings of additional attempts to kidnap IDF soldiers, Israel's military option has taken on increasing urgency.

Olmert did not appear ready to go for broke, however, especially in light of Mahmoud Abbas's call from both Hamas and Israel for calm. The head of Fatah, Abbas shares a contentious leadership of the Palestinian Authority with Fatah's rival Hamas. Abbas is anxious that the relative quiet that has reigned in and near Gaza of late continue, so as not to destabilize his new unity government with Hamas.

Former Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, currently the Infrastructures Minister, said today that if another Israeli soldier is kidnapped, "Israel will not hesitate to abduct [PA prime minister] Ismail Haniye [of Hamas] from his home."

Col. Yogev: Take Over Northern Gaza Now!
Col. (ret.) Moti Yogev says that Israel must re-capture northern Gaza and the Philadelphi Route in southern Gaza. Writing today in the Yisraeli daily, Yogev says this is the minimum required for the protection of Israel's citizens in the south and around Gaza.

"We abandoned the Philadelphi Route as part of the Disengagement," Yogev writes, "which was an illusion devoid of any realistic thinking or evaluation; we discarded the border between Gaza and Egypt not based on intelligence, but based on fantasies... We must hold, forever, the area from northern Gaza to what was the Netzarim Junction - the area from which Kassams are fired at the western Negev and Ashkelon. We must, as quickly as possible, comb the entire area and destroy or collect all the weapons."

Back to Pre-Oslo Days
Yogev goes even further, saying that Israel must "impose a humanitarian and security administration, as there was before the Oslo Accords."

Col. Yogev blames Olmert and Peretz for endangering the lives of hundreds of thousands of Jews: "They both understand that the Disengagement was a failure, yet they continue their wanton policies..."

Thousands of people have been marching to the former Samaria community of Homesh since Tuesday morning, on Israel's Independence Day. The number of participants far exceeds the expectations of the march organizers and of the security forces assigned to the event.

At the head of the group of marchers was Nobel Prize Laureate Professor Yisrael Aumann.

Click here for photo essay of the Yom Haatzmaut return

IDF soldiers at checkpoints along the way are making no attempt, as of Tuesday evening, to stop the marchers, saying they are there to secure the area, protect the marchers from Arabs from local villages, and to prevent activists from using side trails off the main road. Arutz-7 correspondent Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu described the march as quiet and calm, with the atmosphere between the soldiers and marchers as "very relaxed." Another source, who spoke as he was climbing up the hill close to Homesh, also reported the event as "calm, definitely."

At the head of the main organized group of marchers, which set off at 11:00 am from a nearby town, was Nobel Prize Laureate Professor Yisrael Aumann. The world-renowned professor of game theory stated in recent days that he sees a return to Homesh as "signaling the imperative change of direction the state needs. The march to Homesh expresses very well the aspiration to be a free people in our land." Prof. Aumann addressed the gathered activists, as did the Chief Rabbi of Kiryat Arba, Rabbi Dov Lior.

On top of Homesh

Some came by piggyback

Police did not stop marchers

According to Tzafrir Ronen, among the march organizers, the turnout was far beyond what the Homesh First umbrella group had planned on. "We prepared for about 3,000 people, and there are more than 30,000 here," Ronen said. Eyewitnesses said the total number number of marchers on the road numbered between seven and ten thousand.

Dozens of hired buses, including some organized without the help or knowledge of the march organizers, brought supporters of Homesh resettlement from all over the country. The Likud movement also formally joined in on the Homesh march during Tuesday morning. Four buses hired by the Likud party brought activists to the area.

Most of marchers are teenagers and people under the age of 30, many pushing strollers with toddlers and babies, although some are middle-aged and older. "I've seen some grandfathers climbing up the hill," said eyewitness Jonathan Stein. Several thousand people had reached the ruins of Homesh by early afternoon, Stein reported. Commenting on the determination of all of the participants to complete the hike, organizer Ronen said, "I have been to all the battles and all the demonstrations - I have never seen anything like this."

The participants are varied and represent "all types - religious, secular, Haredi, old people and young," according to Ronen. "They are all streaming towards Homesh in an unbelievable flow. The police was unable to cope and simply folded up its tent and left the area. Of four or five jeeps, there remains one, [whose occupants] have nothing to do but have a friendly chat with the marchers. Determination has proven itself. It is also clear to the police that this place is ours...."

Isolated Clashes and One Accident
Despite the generally peaceful nature of the march, isolated incidents of confrontation during the resettlement demonstration led to six arrests, according to an IDF spokesman.

A few security officers allegedly got out of their vehicle and used their weapons to strike a marcher who stepped into the road. The security forces reportedly thought the man was blocking them; the man reportedly thought the jeep was going to hit a group walking along the road.

Two activists were arrested early in the evening after punching holes in the tires of several IDF vehicles on the road between Shavei Shomron and Homesh. One Israeli was arrested earlier in the day after a group of marchers attacked IDF soldiers who tried to stop them at a checkpoint, showing them papers classifying the area as a closed military zone. Two soldiers were lightly injured in the altercation and were treated at the nearby army base.

In another incident, three Israelis were arrested after blocking the road between Shavei Shomron and Homesh by parking vehicles across, and lying down in, the street, effectively preventing IDF vehicles and medical units from passing.

One young marcher was reportedly struck by a Border Guard jeep on the way to Homesh. She has been evacuated to hospital for treatment; her condition is unknown as of this writing.

Homesh Return: An Independence Day Mitzvah
The Association of Judea, Samaria and Gaza Rabbis expressed
The turnout was far beyond what the Homesh First umbrella group had planned on.
the view that the return to Homesh is the practical application of the mitzvah (commandment) inherent in Israel's Independence Day. The rabbis called on the public to get to Homesh in any way they can.

In Homesh, the rabbis wrote, the public is "to give thanks and praise for the miracle of the return to Zion and for settlement throughout our holy land."

The town of Homesh was one of four Jewish communities in northern Samaria that were emptied of its residents under the Disengagement Plan, implemented by the Sharon administration in August 2005. Under that plan, all of the Jewish towns of Gaza were uprooted as well, with control over the area handed over to the Hamas-run Palestinian Authority.

Forced to Walk Back in the Dark
Homesh First activists said they would leave the area at the end of the day, in cooperation with the IDF Central Command coordinating officers. Hundreds of marchers made their way out of the Homesh area before dark with no unusual events reported. It was not initially clear how the remaining marchers would return from the area, however, since the army did not allow buses or other vehicles in to pick up the demonstrators. This left 5,000 civilians, including women and children, who were forced to venture into the wilderness in the dark as they were unprepared for, nor allowed to, stay overnight.

(Photos: Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu - click here to view slideshow)

A few of the Jewish young men, with Israeli flags in hand, charged the gathering Arab mob.

"It is sad that this is the picture in the center of the country on Independence Day."

It appears the Jewish celebrants had unknowingly chosen to hold their Independence Day picnic near the site of the central event held by Israeli Arabs to mark 'Nakba Day' - 'the day of the catastrophe' - as they call Israel's independence. Several thousand Arabs had come to attend the event, and heard speeches from several Arab Knesset Members, bemoaning Israel's 1948 War of Independence. Interestingly, the Arab leadership appears to be marking its 'alternative' day based on the Jewish calendar.

In response to an Arutz-7 query, the regional police department said that they were aware of the incident; however, "both sides promised they would press charges with the police, but neither side did. Therefore, the matter was not handled [by the police]."

In August of 1999, Megiddo Forest, a planned fir forest located adjacent to Kibbutz Megiddo and the Arab-Israeli city of Umm El-Fahm, was the scene of a terrorist ambush and double murder. Two young hikers from Haifa, Yechiel Finfeter and Sharon Steinmetz, were murdered there by an Israeli Arab carrying out what was called "a nationalistic crime of opportunity.

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