Deterrence was key factor for Israel

Manama: Israel launched its attacks on Gaza to restore its deterrence capacity in the Arab world and to foil a peaceful offensive by Hamas, said Norman Finkelstein, a Jewish-American academic.

He dismissed claims that Hamas was responsible for the onslaught, saying that there was no evidence that supported the "misconceptions".

"There is no evidence in my opinion to support this claim. The records show very clearly that, as Israeli newspapers themselves reported, the attack on Gaza had been planned as early as March 2007," said Finkelstein, ahead of two lectures he is delivering in Manama on "The real motives behind Israel's massacre in Gaza" and on the power of the Israeli lobby in the US.

He said that Israel's actions in Gaza could be traced back to the 2006 war with Hezbollah.

"Number one, because of the defeat they suffered in 2006 in the war with Hezbollah. After that they wanted to demonstrate to the Arabs that Israel was still a fighting force and one that could still inspire terror in the Arab world."