After Palestinian sources reported that Israeli forces were pulling out of three areas from Rafah’s refugee camp, Israeli military forces confirmed that operation “Rainbow” might be scaled down and the troops might leave the areas where their mission is completed. However the Israeli military confirmed that it will not fully withdraw until its objectives are completely met.

This operation, which started last Tuesday and was internationally and widely criticized, killed at least 57 Palestinians, 46 of them civilians, including 13 children. Ten Palestinians, mainly children and teenagers, were killed on Wednesday and 50 people injured when an Israeli tank shell ripped through a crowd of peaceful protesters in Gaza. The incident underscored the Israeli army’s complete disregard for human life.

The operation was launched on Rafah’s refugee camp under the pretext of the need to destroy tunnels allegedly used by Palestinians to smuggle long-range rockets and anti-aircraft weapons. However, the nature of the operation revealed what was evidently intended as an act of vengeance for the deaths of 13 Israeli soldiers that were killed during raids on Gaza last week.

Though these tunnels have existed for at least 20 years, Israeli officials maintained that they have just now become a threat to Israel’s “security” and reached a crisis point. However, Yuval Steinitz, chairman of the Israeli parliament's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, stated that the Israeli attack and camp sweep was “a bit too late," claiming that Palestinians already have smuggled and stored weapons.

Yossi Beilin, leader of the dovish Yahad Party, accused Israel of harming its international image and called for a diplomatic solution to stop this so-called crisis. "If that is possible, we should try it now and stop the horrible process in which we lose our image as a democratic and moral country," Beilin said.

The operation has not only aroused condemnation between Israeli parties, but also drove the UN Security Council members- except for the US which abstained- to vote for a resolution condemning Israel for the killing of Palestinian civilians in Rafah and calling for an immediate halt to the demolition of Palestinian houses in Gaza. The resolution condemned “called on Israel to honor its obligations according to the International law.”

Despite abstaining to the UN Security Council Resolution, the American government took a tougher stand this time and advised Israel to “clean up its reputation”, fearing that such drastic Israeli measures would weaken the US position in the Middle East, especially in Iraq.

The Palestinian - Israeli conflict "is not a main driver in the problems we face in Iraq, but it has an effect. There's no question," Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage stressed.

These developments come at a time when the US is urging Palestinians to back Israeli PM Ariel Sharon’s “unilateral disengagement” plan, which National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice considered to be an opportunity for progress in her meeting with the Palestinian PM Ahmad Qurei in Berlin last Monday. In light of these US efforts, Rice expressed “concern” about Israel’s operation in Gaza.

Sharon’s plan includes a unilateral withdrawal from Gaza and parts of the West Bank, in return for the permanent retention of several large settlement blocs in the West Bank. The Israeli PM has touted his plan as the only possible solution currently available that can reduce violence and promote a return to the peace process.

This plan has been rejected by the Likud party, placing its implementation into severe doubt. While 80% of the Israeli people support a full withdrawal from Gaza, Sharon it seems has embarked on operation “Rainbow” as a means of convincing his party that a withdrawal does not reveal Israeli weakness. He has pushed back revealing the "modifications" to his plan, in the hopes that if he razes enough Palestinian homes and kills enough Palestinians, the faith in his hard-line ideology would be restored among his rightist party’s rank and file.