Secret Meeting on Gaza

Israel's top three politicians met in secret Friday to discuss the attacks, even though they have little trust for one another, inflaming suspicions that the attacks were motivated by the upcoming elections. According to a government spokesman, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met with the two of the top candidates for his job, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni. Both challengers were trailing hard-liner Binyamin Netanyahu, a former prime minister, who has long pressed for military action in Gaza. "With Netanyahu leading in the polls, and the security situation deteriorating, it would have killed Livni and Barak if they had let 50 or 60 rockets land every day and done nothing," said Reuven Y. Hazan, a professor of political science. Among Palestinians, the notion that the attacks are politically motivated is widespread. "The Israeli politicians are using this blood bath for the sake of their political campaigns," said Mustafa Barghouti, an independent Palestinian politician based in the West Bank. In 1996, Netanyahu came to power during an offensive against Lebanon.