ISRAEL TO START TURNING SCREWS ON GAZA

Israel to restrict transfer of goods, petrols into Gaza (YNet)
The security establishment decided Tuesday to gradually restrict the transfer of goods and petrols into the Gaza Strip. The decision, made in a meeting headed by Deputy Defense Minister MK Matan Vilnai (Labor-Meimad), will be brought before Defense Minister Ehud Barak for approval before being implemented.

Barak set to approve list of sanctions against Gaza (JPost)
In response to the escalation in Kassam rocket fire against Israel, Defense Minister Ehud Barak plans to approve a list of civilian sanctions against the Gaza Strip in a security assessment he will hold with senior military officials on Thursday, The Jerusalem Post has learned.

On Tuesday, seven Kassams struck the western Negev, including one that scored a direct hit on a home in Sderot. There were no casualties. On Monday, six rockets were fired into Israel.

Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilna'i was ordered by Barak to prepare a list of sanctions that Israel could impose on Gaza in line with the recent cabinet decision that defined Gaza as a "hostile entity." If the recommendations are approved by Barak, it would be the first time Israel scales back on vital supplies to Gaza since the cabinet decision last month.

In a meeting with defense officials, Southern Command officers and the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, Vilna'i, officials said, decided to recommend that Israel begin cutting back the supply of gasoline to Gaza in the coming days.

Barak will also be presented with a recommendation to shut down one of the five power lines connecting Israel and Gaza for two hours at night.

"We need to show the residents of Gaza that life does not carry on freely when Kassam rockets fall in Israel," a senior defense official said. "If rockets are fired, then the Palestinians will pay a price."

Defense officials said the cuts in gasoline supply would be enough to "slightly disrupt" Palestinians' daily lives and cause them to think twice before driving their car.

During the Tuesday meeting, Vilna'i decided to allow the continued supply of diesel fuel, which is used by ambulances and sanitation vehicles.

"We do not want to cause a humanitarian crisis," a defense official said. "But we do want to send a clear message to the Palestinians that the rocket fire will not be tolerated."