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Ex-Israeli General Says Gaza Push Likely By LAURIE COPANS, Associated Press Writer JERUSALEM - A top architect of Israeli military policy in the Gaza Strip said in comments published Thursday that the army will have to conduct a lengthy ground operation in the Palestinian territory to halt continuing rocket fire, the clearest sign yet that Israel is preparing an offensive against the Hamas militant group. Israeli leaders have repeatedly said their patience is wearing thin with the near-daily rocket attacks on southern Israeli communities, and Defense Minister Ehud Barak last month said Israel is moving closer to a large-scale military operation in Gaza. In an interview with the Yediot Ahronot daily, Maj. Gen. Moshe Kaplinsky said a Gaza operation appears inevitable. "We cannot over time stand idly by as Hamas rearms in the strip and as the rocket fire continues incessantly," said Kaplinsky, who until this month served as the army's deputy chief of staff. "In order to dismantle the terror infrastructure, systematic treatment is necessary. A ground operation is a question of timing." He did not elaborate. Since Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip two years ago, the rocket fire has persisted, despite frequent Israeli airstrikes and incursions targeting rocket squads. Thousands of the crude rockets have landed in southern Israel, killing 12 people over the past seven years and disrupting daily life for thousands of residents. Israel has been reluctant to send troops into Gaza, fearing it will result in heavy casualties on both sides. But Israel has grown increasingly concerned that a diplomatic solution is not possible following Hamas' violent takeover of Gaza in June. Although Hamas is not usually involved in the rocket attacks, the group has not shown any willingness to rein in the rocket launchers, and Israel says it holds Hamas responsible. Prior to a large incursion, Israel may have to strike at Hamas' militant and political leadership or cut the supply of resources to the Gaza Strip to pressure the group, Kaplinsky said. Israel's army already has several plans for military operations in the Gaza Strip to counter the rocket fire, military officials said on condition of anonymity since they were not authorized to speak to the media. The officials said an incursion would probably not come before a U.S.-sponsored Mideast peace conference next month. Israel is trying to restart peace talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who is in a power struggle with Hamas, and an offensive in Gaza could poison the atmosphere. The military officials said an incursion could begin in the coming months, and could be prompted by a rocket attack causing heavy casualties or striking a sensitive target. Kaplinsky said Israel has been too slow to act against the rockets since completing its Gaza withdrawal, and now it is paying the price. "I think that if we would have created a different equation for a response immediately after the disengagement, maybe we would have achieved a different result," Kaplinsky said. In violence Thursday, Israeli troops shot and killed a Palestinian policeman who was driving with a wanted militant in his car, Palestinian officials said. They said the shooting took place after a brief chase. The undercover soldiers dressed in civilian clothes shot the policeman but the Islamic Jihad activist in the car with him escaped unharmed, they said. The army said troops shot a man who drew a pistol when they approached. In the central Gaza Strip, Israeli armored vehicles crossed the border fence in pursuit of rocket launchers, the army and Palestinian witnesses said. When four armed Palestinians approached the forces, the troops shot them, the army said. Palestinian medical officials confirmed four people were wounded, one of them critically. Also Thursday, Hamas said it will soon meet Fatah officials to try to end the standoff. "We agreed to hold meetings with Fatah in an Arab capital. We have a complete vision for a solution," Ismail Haniyeh, prime minister of Gaza's Hamas government, said in comments posted on the group's Web site. A top Fatah official in the West Bank, negotiator Saeb Erekat, said talks between the rivals are not possible until Hamas agrees to step down from power in Gaza. Fatah has repeatedly rejected Hamas calls to renew contacts since the June takeover. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? 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