Israel mounts U-turn after Gaza offensive

ISRAEL began scaling back its 17-day offensive in the Gaza Strip yesterday after Prime Minister Ariel Sharon heeded the army’s warning that an extended stay is too risky and the US called for a quick withdrawal.

Mr Sharon’s decision came just hours after he told MPs that Operation Days of Penitence, meant to stop Palestinian rocket fire on Israeli communities, would continue and even be expanded.

The prime minister’s apparent U-turn reflected his dilemma: continued Palestinian rocket attacks undermine support for his planned withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in 2005, while a major military offensive invites international criticism because of heavy Palestinian casualties.