With Troops Poised Near Gaza, Sharon Judges Cost of Reprisal
After a week when Israel ended its 39-day siege of Bethlehem, but suffered another suicide bombing costing 15 Israeli lives, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is under acute pressure as he calculates whether and in what degree to attack the Gaza Strip.

Israeli troops are massed outside Gaza, ready to retaliate against Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and Palestinians are girding to fight them. But Mr. Sharon may have missed his opportunity for a serious sweep through Gaza, hemmed in himself by domestic politics and a fragile new commitment from Washington to press for peace.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/12/international/middleeast/12ASSE.html?todaysheadlines