Israeli children take cover in Sderot during today's attackAn Israeli city is under siege.
Sderot is in Israel's Negev, located within the pre 1967 borders. Since the IDF `disengaged' from Gaza in a `sacrifice for peace' Sderot, along with neiboring towns and kibutzim has been a target for unceasing Qassam rocket attacks by the Palestinians,fired from the very communities, like Gush Katif and Neve Dekalim that were once home to Jews before they were ethnically cleansed by their own army.
The schools in Sderot and surrounding areas have been closed for six days now, and property damage and several casualties have occurred. The residents, as a protest, had declared a hunger strike and blockaded the city using vehicles. Last night, one of the 4 Qassam missiles fired from Gaza exploded in front of Sderot public library and cut the electrical current.
Today, Israeli president Katsav visited Sderot, along with Defense Minister Amir Peretz, who's house in Sderot has been the site of protests by his neighbors. Peretz just returned from being taunted by Knesset memebers in Jerusalem for "cowardice" and "doing nothing" against the ongoing missile attacks on his own hometown. The Kassam attacks have left five dead and dozens wounded over the past months.
During Katsav's visit,the Palestinians fired off two Qassams, and one of the residents of Sderot was injured by shrapnel. Obviously, the Palestinian terrorists were sending a message..that they were not afraid to target Sderot during the Israeli president’s visit, which was public knowledge. I think it's safe to say that they don't fear the present Israeli government's resolve or response in dealing with Palestinian terrorism.
Katsav said that the ongoing rocket attacks in the aftermath of Israel's disengagement from Gaza left Israel with no option other than a military response.
He told the people of Sderot to put their trust in the IDF in dealing with the Palestinians. I'm sure, knowing Israelis as I do that at least one person told him in no uncertain terms that trusting the IDF wasn't the problem...trusting Israel's current government was another matter altogether!
Katsav also mentioned that the responsibility for the rocket attacks was with the Palestinian leadership, and that if the Palestinian government could not control them, then it had to bear full responsibility for what they were doing.
So just when is Israel going to declare war on the Palestinian government that continues to target Israeli civilians?
Can you imagine what would happen to President Bush in San Diego, Brownsville or El Paso if he dared to show his face in one of those cities when Mexico was firing rockets across our border?
What amazes me is that Olmert, faced with plain evidence of the folly of Israel's pullout from Gaza is now preparing to repeat the process in Judea and Samaria, giving the Palestinians even jucier targets to shoot at in densely populated Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
He had better do some serious rethinking.
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