Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Thursday rejected a proposal by Defense Minister Amir Peretz and the Israel Defense Forces for a ground operation in the northern Gaza Strip against the ongoing Qassam rocket fire.
Olmert demanded that they present him with an approved operational plan.
According to government sources, the operation, which will target Beit Hanun, will take place, but Olmert wants the operation to be "prolonged and exhausting," and did not believe that the plan he was shown fit the bill.
The decision was made following consultations held by Olmert and Peretz with security officials, after Egypt asked Israel to allow more time for negotiations on the release of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, abducted Sunday from a post near the Gaza border.
The sources added that while IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz approved the plan, other IDF officers opposed it, and Olmert was informed of their objections.
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