Over 100 rocket attacks from Gaza to southern Israel

#Rockets, #cease fire, #Hamas, #Israel, #Missiles, # Iran, #Gaza
By Anav Silverman

http://www.sderotmedia.com/

Since the end of Operation Cast Lead, over 100 Palestinian rockets including Grads, Qassams and mortar rockets, have struck Israel according to the IDF Spokesperson's Office.

For the second time this week, Qassam rockets targeted the western Negev town of Sderot. On Thursday morning, February 26, a Qassam rocket fired by Palestinian terrorists in northern Gaza exploded in the backyard of a Sderot home. A mother and her son were treated for shock as were a number of other civilians in the neighborhood where the rocket struck. No injuries were reported. The Qassam rocket caused damages to two Sderot homes when it exploded. It was a miracle that no one was hurt according to bystanders.

Watch video- http://sderotmedia.com/bin/videos.cgi?q=watch&id=2312

The rocket attack took place around 8:30 am, a few seconds after the Tzeva Adom (Color Red) siren had blared throughout Sderot and surrounding communities. Another rocket landed in the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council, causing no damages or injuries.Video:Noam BedeinOn Wednesday morning, February 25, two rockets were fired at the western Negev region as well, hitting the Eshkol region.

On Monday, February 23, Palestinian rockets slammed into open fields outside of Sderot. The Tzeva Adom siren alert, set off twice by impending Gaza rockets, had Sderot residents racing for cover two times on Monday.

Photo: Noam Bedein

US Congressmen Brian Baird and Keith Ellison Visit Gaza and Sderot

#US congressmen #Brian Baird, #Keith Ellison, #Gaza, #Sderot, #Israel, #President Obama

By Anav Silverman

www.SderotMedia.com

Following a day tour in Gaza, members of Congress, Brian Baird (D-Washington) and Keith Ellison (D-Minnesota) spent an hour in Sderot touring the city with Sderot Media Center director, Noam Bedein and staff on Friday, February 20.

In Sderot, the Congressmen met with the Amar family whose home was destroyed in a Palestinian rocket attack in December 2007. Both US President Obama and Senator John McCain had visited the Amars during their tour of Sderot last year.

Photo: Chen Shwartzman

The Congressmen asked many questions during the visit and showed interest in understanding the full impact of rocket fire on Israeli civilians-- including children-- living in Sderot.

Dr. Adrianna Katz of the Sderot Mental Health Center spoke with the Congressmen at the Sderot Police Station, where hundreds of exploded rockets have been stored away. Representative Baird, a licensed clinical psychologist, was particularly interested in the psychological impact of the rocket fire. Dr. Katz explained that there is a ‘Qassam generation’ of Sderot children who have been born into the rocket fire.

“These kids, who experienced rocket attacks since 2001, know no other reality other than exploding rockets and ‘Tzeva Adom’ (Color Red) alert sirens. Their sense of peace and security has been shattered,” said Dr. Katz.

“The rocket fire has impacted the economic situation, family relationships-- all aspects of life here in Sderot. People live in constant fear and terror that a rocket may strike at any moment. Over 5,000 residents have been forced to leave and relocate elsewhere.”

“Israelis living in Ashkelon, Be’er Sheva and Ashdod are now experiencing that same terror for the first time, ” added Dr. Katz.

Accompanying the Congressmen on their visit, were Dr. Nick Palarino and Dr. Catherine Salsman.

Holding a Hamas-fired rocket at the Sderot Police Station, US Representative Ellison, the first Muslim elected to US Congress, commented on its heaviness. “A rocket explosion can impact up to 300 feet,” explained SMC director, Noam Bedein. “The models become more sophisticated and pack more explosives with each passing year."

Bedein also pointed out that the Grad-model Katyusha rockets come directly from Iran. "Iran supplies Hamas with the rockets that target major Israeli cities. The rockets were smuggled through the tunnels dug between the Egyptian-Gaza border or by ship, during the last ceasefire." During the war, the Grad rockets were able to target one million Israelis who still remain under Palestinian missile threat.

Photo: Chen Shwartzman

Both US representatives asked Dr. Katz her view on potential peace with the Palestinians. "Is the hatred towards the Palestinians deep-seeded on the Israeli side? asked Congressman Baird. "There is no hatred for the Palestinian people," replied Dr. Katz. "Israelis here know that there is an underlying difference between the Hamas government and the average Palestinian citizen."

The two US representatives filmed the tour on their camera phones to share with relevant persons back in the US.

Congressman Ellison, who represents Minnesota, and Congressman Baird, who represents Washington state, had visited Gaza the day previously. It was the first time that anyone from the US government had entered the Gaza Strip since Hamas took power. Their visit to Gaza, according to Representative Brian Baird’s website, was not officially sanctioned by Obama Administration. However, US President Obama has stated in the past that he intends to improve ties with the Muslim world.

Indeed in a joint press release available on Congressman Baird's official government website, Congressmen Ellison and Baird spoke primarily of their visit to Gaza and their impressions of the situation there.

Golda Was Right

#Jewish State, #Golda Meir, #Israel, #Gaza, #Sderot,

By Jacob Shrybman
www.SderotMedia.com

Moments after another “Tzeva Adom” warning siren rang out in Sderot I walked around the Sderot Media Center office wondering why it is that the Jewish nation must continually justify their actions for survival. No matter the measure taken to protect its people from rockets, missiles, bombs, guns, or heavier attack Israel comes under a barrage of condemnations and negative political pressure. It is nearing the 61^st year since its establishment, so when will the Jewish state no longer have to defend its existence?

If the reason for these condemnations is because of numbers of casualties from Israel’s vital operations then where was the uproar when Arafat claimed that 10,000-20,000 were massacred in eleven days by the Jordanian army in September of 1970? These numbers, as well as other world conflict casualty statistics, overshadow the inflated number of 1,300 people that Hamas claims were killed by Israel during the three-week Operation Cast Lead.

Nonetheless, I resent the fact that the Jewish people and Israel need to constantly prove to the world that we have a right to defend ourselves and that we are not blood-thirsty monsters like often portrayed. More so I resent the fact that in order to bolster my case for Israel’s legitimacy I have to research and compare numbers of people killed by other nations versus numbers killed by the Jewish nation. Could the world truly think that Israel likes having to send its country’s youth into an extremely hostile urban combat setting where around every corner could be a booby-trapped explosive or kidnapping trap? Could the world truly think Israel’s self-centered politicians like suspending their election campaigns to handle the emergencies that come along with a military operation?

The world must understand that Israel cannot have 1 million of its citizens under the daily immediate threat of rockets.

Last week while guiding an afternoon tour of Sderot for American students Sderot resident and mother Shula Sasson showed the group of 18 year-olds how her family’s mattresses were leaning against the wall behind their couch in the first floor living room because her family hasn’t slept or lived on the second floor of their house for years because it is simply too far from their sheltered room.

When one of the students asked Shula if she was optimistic about the since there is currently a ceasefire with Hamas, she calmly but sternly replied, “Do not believe it (ceasefire).” She then emphasized to the students that their visit to Sderot was more important than a meaningless ceasefire so they can convey the situation to their schools and communities. Shula wished the students goodbye saying, “You will be the ones to save us. Not a ceasefire.”

Over the past eight years, since the rocket fire began in January 2001, Israel has attempted various methods to bring an end to these terrorist attacks in order to put off a major military operation. Even when Israel is forced to carry out the difficult task of thwarting terrorists embedded in one of the most densely populated areas in the world, it goes to unprecedented lengths to prevent loss of civilian life. It is unheard of other militaries around the world to call and text message civilians warning them of the imminent military attack.

But yet the Tzeva Adoms continue and I am sitting in Sderot agitated and on edge; in the only region in the world where civilians are consistently targeted by rockets, less than a mile a way to a territory controlled by a terrorist organization committed to the destruction of the Jewish State. So, I resent the fact that I have to defend Israel’s legitimacy for existence when it is forced to target terrorists that the world knows are using families’ home and hiding behind human shields.

As former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir said after the Six Day War, “When peace comes we can forgive the Arabs for killing our children but we cannot forgive them for forcing us to kill theirs.”

The Iran-Hamas Connection and President Obama

#Iran, #Hamas, #Obama, #Gaza, #Israel

http://www.sderotmedia.com/
By • Anav Silverman Fri Feb 20 2009

As US President Barack Obama makes historic overtures in attempting to foster open dialogue with Iran, the rest of world watches in optimistic anticipation. The UK's Guardian recently reported that Obama's administration drafted a letter to Iran "aimed at unfreezing US-Iranian relations and opening the way for face-to-face talks."

Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has welcomed US overtures saying that:
"The new U.S. administration announced that it's willing to bring about a number of changes and is now taking the course for dialogue. It's quite clear that the real change should be fundamental, not just tactical change, and it is quite clear that the Iranian nation will greet real changes." (CNN, February 10)

'Obama in Sderot July 2008'

Change or no change, residents of southern and northern Israel have reason to be wary of Iran, a country that continues to fund Hamas and Hezbullah terrorism operations.
Thanks to Iranian-produced Grad missiles and technology, Hamas now holds rockets that place close to 1 million Israelis within target range. During Operation Cast Lead, Hamas was able to strike Israel's fifth and sixth largest cities, Ashdod and Beersheba respectively, along with Netivot, Ofakim, Qiryat Gat, Yavneh, and Kiryat Malachi.

Hamas now has aspirations to target other Israeli cities, particularly Tel Aviv. Hamas's Al-Aqsa TV recently proclaimed on a program: "Tel Aviv, all our options are open." (Al Aqsa TV, January 10, 2009)

But it is not only the rockets which are worrying.

Although the Obama administration is keen on turning a new leaf with Iran, the fact remains that Iran is the "central banker" for Middle East terrorism, as former US Secretary of State, Condoleeza Rice aptly put when she spoke to the Senate Appropriations Committee on Iran's role in supporting Islamic terror in 2006.

The Iranian nation is a leading financial supporter of three terror networks; Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah. Iran transfers several hundreds of million of dollars a year to Hamas, financing the movement and its military wing, Iz Al-Din-al Qassam Brigades. When Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in 2006, Iran awarded the regime with a $50 million bonus (BBC report April 16, 2006).

The Hamas website reported on December 11, 2006 that the Iranians had given $250 million to top Hamas official and fundraiser, Ismail Haniya, of which $100 million was used to cover the salaries of Hamas employees in the social, labor and cultural ministries for a six-month period in 2007. (Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center report )

According to the IICC, Iran regards Hezbollah and Hamas as two important sources of power which Iran uses to promote its strategic goals, that of regional hegemony.
“Using Hezbollah, Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist organizations, the Iranian-Syrian axis can increase its influence in the Arab and Muslim world, pose a serious challenge to Mahmoud Abbas, harm the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority and export the Iranian brand of radical Islam to other Sunni countries, especially Egypt. From the Iranian point of view, its sponsorship of Hamas is considered as a means of establishing an Iranian foothold in the heart of the Sunni world.”

Iranians themselves fully identify with Hamas’s goals to destroy Israel, as most recently indicated when more than 70,000 Iranian student volunteers registered to carry out suicide bombings against Israel to support Hamas during Operation Cast Lead in Gaza. (AP January 5) The rush of volunteers transpired when Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivered a religious decree stating that anyone who carried out an attack against Israel would be considered a martyr.

Iranian schools, like Hamas, contain children’s textbooks which teach Iranian schoolchildren to hate and fear Israel. IMPACT recently published a short volume on The War Curriculum in Iran, which exposes the way in which Iranian textbooks connect the Islamic Revolution in Iran to the struggle for the liberation of Palestine.

Children as young as eight years of age learn in Iranian history textbooks that
“God willing, the day will come when all Muslims will be united, liberate Palestine and save Jerusalem from the hands of the enemies of Islam.”
Social Studies, Grade 3 (2004) p. 56

And finally, Iran’s perception of the West is just as hostile. Iranian school books equal the United States with “the Great Satan.” Westernization receives a special label in Persian, known as Gharbzadegi, which literally means being smitten with the West in a way that corrupts the soul. “Westernization is treated as an ominous danger targeting Islamic identity.” (The War Curriculum in Iranian Schoolbooks p.162)

Is it any wonder that Iran and most of its population of 74 million residents determinedly supports the Hamas regim? After all the Iranian national education system and religious institutions for the past thirty years has indoctrinated a hate education against Israel and the West.

The question is-- what will President Obama be willing to believe of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad should he engage in direct talks, as Iranian financial aid and rockets continue to strengthen Hamas and Hezbollah.
And will Israel be pressured to talk to Hamas in the same fashion?

45 Palestinian Rockets Strike Israel Since Ceasefire

#Israel, #Gaza, #ceasefire, #Hamas, #palestinian, #rockets, #missiles

http://www.sderotmedia.com/

By • Anav Silverman Thu Feb 18 2009

Over 45 Palestinian rockets and mortars have been fired into Israel since the unilateral ceasefire began between Hamas and Israel on January 18. This is the third Hamas-Israel ceasefire held since November 2006.

On Wednesday, February 18, western Negev residents woke up to the sound of the Tzeva Adom, Color Red alert siren blaring at 7:40 am in the morning. A Palestinian rocket fired from Gaza slammed into the Sha'ar HaNegev kibbutz causing no reported damages or injuries.
This has been the second Palestinan rocket attack in the past five days.

On Friday, February 13, Palestinian terrorists fired three rockets at Israel, striking the Sderot area. A week before on Friday, February 6, a Palestinian rocket fired from northern Gaza struck Ashkelon at 9: 30 am morning. Another Qassam rocket hit the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council area earlier in the morning the same day.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak stated after the Ashkelon attack that Israel is not gearing up for a second offensive in the Gaza Strip.

According to YNET News, (February 6, 2009) Barak stated that:
"We have no intention of embarking on Operation Cast Lead number two. We said there would be a response (to the rocket fire) and we responded," he said, "Our deterrence is intact. Hamas is barely picking up the pieces and is looking for a lull. If we play our cards right and prevent further escalation than we have a good chance of some peace and quiet."

The IDF has responded to the attacks on Wednesday, February 18, by striking seven smuggling tunnels under the Gaza-Egypt border and a Hamas security base near Khan Yunis.
Previous ceasefires with Hamas have fraught with rocket fire violations.

During the first ceasefire held with Hamas from November 11, 2006 to May 15, 2007, over 315 rockets struck Israel during the six-month ceasefire. During the second ceasefire, held between June 19 to December 19, 2008, over 538 Qassam and mortar rockets slammed into Israel.

Crossing into Gaza: SMC visits the Erez checkpoint

#Gaza, #Hamas, #Israel, #Sderot, #Terrorism

Source: http://www.sderotmedia.com/

By • Anav Silverman
Wed Feb 10 2009 00:42:01

Ten minutes away from Sderot, sits the Erez Crossing--the only crossing that serves as a pedestrian exit point for Gaza Strip residents entering Israel. The crossing is currently open to Palestinian workers holding permits and families seeking medical treatment in Israel. Large numbers of journalists and international foreign press also cross through the point.

I recently had an opportunity with Sderot Media Center to tour the Erez crossing last Thursday morning, February 4 on a visit coordinated with the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (IICC).

As we entered into the crossing, we could see that there was a new addition to the heavily guarded compound. A gleaming medical center stood before us, which had been opened two weeks ago at the start of the unilateral ceasefire between Hamas and Israel on January 18. Israel's Magen David Adom in cooperation with the Department of Health opened the center to treat wounded Gazans, with the Israel investing millions of dollars into its construction.
The new Israeli medical center can handle 30 patients per hour and is staffed by paramedics and doctors who specialize in emergency medicine, pediatrics, trauma, gynecology, orthopedics, and other fields. It is equipped with state of the art laboratories, X-ray machines, and a pharmacy.

"The only problem," tells us Shlomo Tzaban, one of the managers at the Erez Crossing, "is that the medical center is empty. No one is using it because Hamas discourages Palestinians from seeking treatment at Israeli hospitals." Indeed, Hamas controls the crossing on the Gaza end and therefore has complete authority on Palestinians seeking to enter Israel. Subsequently, there has been a dramatic decrease in the number of Palestinians seeking medical treatment in Israel--down to 80-90% --says Tzaban.

Visitng the Erez terminal

"Everyone in Gaza lives under Hamas control," explains Tzaban. "Hamas uses terror and fear to rule the Palestinian people. There is no fair judiciary court system in Gaza today. "

Back in December 2008, the Hamas parliament sanctioned that Palestinian courts were to condemn offenders according to violent punitive measures under Islamic Sharia laws. Hamas punishments for Palestinian offenders include whipping, severing hands (for stealing), crucifixion and hanging. In addition, the bill also ensured that offenders who commit any activities that hurts Palestinian morale and Palestinian interests are liable to death, including people who negotiate with a foreign government.

Tzaban, a 28-year old veteran of the IDF, emphasizes that Hamas will use any means now to win support from the Palestinians after the heavy damages inflicted by the war. "The fact that Hamas police recently raided an UNRWA storehouse in order to distribute the humanitarian aid on its own accord may shock the international community but it's happened before," says Tzaban. "In order to maintain the support of the Palestinian civilian population, Hamas is trying to show that only they have the power to provide for the welfare and social needs of the Palestinian people, while at the same time waging a terror agenda against Israel."

The United Nations Relief and Work Agency accused Hamas of seizing humanitarian aid sent into Gaza from countries across the world on February 4. UNRWA stated that Hamas had seized thousands of blankets and hundreds of food packages that were meant to be delivered to hundreds of poor families in Gaza after UNRWA refused to hand over the humanitarian aid to the Hamas Ministry of Social Welfare.

TODAY the Erez compound stands practically empty, except for a couple of Palestinian families and foreign journalists, and two peace activists standing outside. The compound was built five years ago and was meant to check through around 20,000-25,000 Palestinian workers at a time. In the meantime, hundreds of foreign journalists have used the crossing to enter into Gaza.

Director of the IICC, Dr. Reuven Ehrlich with SMC staff

The director of the IICC, Reuven Ehrlich pointed out during the visit that there is a critical need for the foreign journalists to visit Sderot in order to see the devestation caused by Hamas. "Among the hundreds of international correspondents pour through the Erez crossing to visit in Gaza, how many of these journalists actually visit Sderot in order to gain a more balanced perspective? Ehrlich asked. "Sderot and the western Negev also need to be placed on the foreign press map."

The Erez compound has been frequently attacked by Palestinian terrorists. On average, there are between one to two attempted Palestinian terrorist attacks on the Erez compound on a bi-weekly basis, according to Erez, an IDF security officer at the checkpoint. In the last four years, Palestinian terror networks have targeted the Erez crossing with almost 500 mortar rockets. In May 2008, a Palestinian bomber from Gaza blew up an explosive-laden truck on the Palestinian side of the Erez crossing, causing an estimated $3.5 million in damages to the Israeli checkpoint.

Along with the Erez crossing, the three other crossings between Gaza and Israel include Karnei, Kerem Shalom and Nahal Oz. The latter three, used to transport humanitarian aid and other goods into Gaza, have also been frequent targets of Palestinian mortar and sniper attacks. Last year, two Israelis were killed at the Nahal Oz fuel terminal in a Palestinian sniper attack. In May 2008, the Kerem Shalom crossing, the main crossing point for humanitarian goods was forced to close after terrorists trigged two jeeps full of explosives that caused extensive damage to the compound, which took five months to repair.

THE crossing points are part of the Gaza security buffer which was initiated in 1994 under Yitzchak Rabin's Oslo Accords as a means to prevent Palestinian suicide bombers from entering Israel. Once Palestinian terror groups recognized that suicide bombers could no longer enter Israel, they began developing rockets and explosives. The first rocket attack on Sderot took place in 2001.

When Israel disengaged from the Gaza Strip in 2005, rocket attacks against Sderot and the western Negev sharply increased. Today 10,000 Palestinian rockets have struck Israel, with 84 Qassams exploding in Sderot during Operation Cast Lead alone.

As we tour the silent Erez terminal, heavily fortified with concrete against explosions and suicide bombers, I can only think of Sderot located ten minutes away. With no medical center of its own, Sderot residents wounded by Qassam rockets must be transported 20 minutes away to Ashkelon to receive medical treatment.

An irony of course.

But not the only one. Despite all the monitoring equipment, special conveyor belts, and video cameras used to inspect terrorist activity at the Erez compound, Hamas rockets continue to shoot over freely, terrorizing Israelis even with a unilateral ceasefire in place.

The War in Gaza- A Summary of Statistics

#Hamas, #Israel, #war, #Gaza, #statistics

Source: www.SderotMedia.com

Wed Feb 10 2009 00:28:08

Qassam and Mortar Rocket Statistics * Over 10,000 rockets and mortars have been fired from Gaza since 2001. * In the year of 2008, over 3,200 Palestinian rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip, the largest number of rockets fired at Israel (per year) since 2001. * Since Israel's disengagement from the Gaza Strip in August 2005, rocket fire dramatically increased with over 6,500 rockets having been fired at Israel (www.mfa.gov.il). Hamas-Israel Ceasefires Israel has held two previous ceasefires with Hamas: * November 11, 2006 -- May 15, 2007: Over 315 Palestinian rockets struck Israel during the six-month ceasefire. * June 19 -- December 19, 2008: Over 538 Qassam and mortar rockets slammed into Israel during the six-month ceasefire. Most of the rocket fire took place during the months of November and December. Operation Cast Lead (December 27, 2008--January 17, 2009) * Over 796 Hamas rockets and mortars were fired into Israel from the Gaza Strip during the three-week Operation Cast Lead. The war revealed that Hamas's rocket range now targets over 1 million southern Israelis living in major cities that include Ashkelon, Be'er Sheva, Ashdod, Gedera, and Kiryat Malachi. * Since Israel's defensive operation began in December 27, over 294 Israelis were injured in Palestinian rocket and mortar attacks and over 244 Israelis have been treated for shock. * Palestinian rockets struck nine educational facilities including high schools, kindergartens, and elementary schools. Three synagogues in the western Negev were hit by rockets. *84 Hamas rockets exploded in Sderot during the operation. *140 Tzeva Adom siren alerts blared in Sderot within the three weeks of fighting. Impact on Israeli Civilians Causalities: 28 have been killed by rocket fire from Gaza, Over 1,000 people in Israel have been wounded by Palestinian rockets and mortars fired from the Gaza Strip since 2001, including Israelis, Palestinians and foreign workers. Psychological Impact: Approximately 3000 patient files have been opened in the Sderot Mental Health Center in light of continuous rocket fire. In the year 2007 alone, 1,117 trauma victim files were opened. Anxiety symptoms among children often include sleeping difficulties, nightmares, sweating, development regressions, wetting beds, and fear of the outside. According to a 2008 NATAL study (Center for Victims of Terror and War), between 70% to 94% of Sderot children suffer from symptoms of PTSD while 28% of children are diagnosed with PTSD. About 30% of Sderot adults are also diagnosed with PTSD. Economic Impact: According to Yakov Levy, a Sderot realtor, prices of homes have dropped down 50 percent. Housing prices were nearly double in 2000 before the Palestinian rocket fire began. Around 20-30 % of businesses in Sderot and surrounding areas have shut down since the rocket terror. Sales at stores in general have dropped by nearly 50 percent. During the intense rocket fire of May 2007, 350 small businesses were forced to shut down. Since 2001, Gaza rocket fire has forced 11 Sderot factories to shut down. During Operation Cast Lead, Hamas rocket fire caused millions of shekels in losses in the area of construction work across the Negev and the south. Numerous small businesses suffered in decreased sales and have been unable to pay employee salaries because of low revenues. *Source: Ynet News, 15.1.09: http://www.mynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3656145,00.html Home and Property Damage: Close to 1,900 cases have been filed to the Israeli government for damages done to homes and property by Hamas rocket attacks during the three weeks of war. Palestinian rockets directly hit more than 1,500 Israeli homes and buildings in the south, and caused heavy damage to 327 vehicles. *Source: Walla News, 21.1.09: http://news.walla.co.il/?w=/1/1421716&bigmaavaron=1 Israel's Humanitarian Aid to Gaza Since Operation Cast Lead, 1,365 truckloads of humanitarian aid have been delivered through Israeli crossings into Gaza including basic food commodities, medication, medical supplies, blood units and donations by various governments and blood units. Over 33,580 tons of aid transported in Gaza at the request of international organizations, the PA and governments since Operation Cast lead. Over 440,000 gallons (1.7 liters) of fuel transferred through Israel's Nahal Oz fuel terminal and Kerem Shalom goods crossings, both of which have been targeted by Palestinian mortar fire in the past. The World Food Program informed Israel that it would cease shipment of food to Gaza because warehouses were at full capacity. The IDF made over 30,000 telephone calls to Gaza residents warning them of rocket strikes and distributed 980,000 leaflets instructing Gaza civilians to stay away from terrorists and weapons storage sites. Israel also evacuated 38 Palestinians for medical treatment including two children. *Sources: Haaretz, Jan. 18 2009, Israel MFA Website, IICC, Reuters January 17, 2009, Iran-backed Hamas Terror The LA Times on January 19, 2009 published an article stating that after Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, dozens of Hamas militants with engineering and chemical knowledge went to Tehran for training, according to Israeli officials. Experts of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard taught the Palestinians to build lethal rockets by cobbling together materials and chemicals found in Gaza or smuggled in from Egypt, according to Israeli experts. The article further stated that Iran has provided Hamas with hundreds of smuggled artillery rockets that reach as far as 25 miles into Israel. In recent communications with Hamas leaders, Iranian officials assured the Palestinians that they could expend their rockets -- estimated to number 2,000 at the start of combat in December-- because Iran would replenish the arsenal, an Israeli security official said. Over 5,000 of centrifuges are operating in Iran today, which enrich uranium, the material used to produce a nuclear weapon. The UN Security Council has passed four resolutions since 2006 to try to stop Iran from enriching uranium. *Sources: LA Times, January 19, 2009: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-gaza-assess18-2009jan18,0,4212860.story http://un.org/News/Press/docs/2008/sc9268.doc.htm http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jG7bnyWWJfgaYD-JwcqmimipRujwD94MND800

#Israel, #Sderot Community Treatment Theater ® 2009

Source: http://www.sderotmedia.com/

Research studies reveal that 70%- 94% of children in Sderot suffer from signs of PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

There is an urgent need for the youth of Sderot and the Western Negev to express themselves. Eight years of Palestinian missiles on the western Negev has wreaked heavy psychological damage upon children and adults in the area. Negev residents awaken to fear and anxiety each week-as the red alert siren, the Tzeva Adorn sounds throughout the city to warn residents of impending Palestinian missile attacks.

SMC understands the fear of these children because SMC staff experiences the missile attacks right along with them. SMC's interaction with these victims has given it the opportunity to understand the needs of residents who have been battered both economically and psychologically by the Palestinian missiles. Past SMC projects have included a Creative Writing Contest for community residents and the facilitation of a theater therapy camp for Sderot children who performed in New York and Boston in 2007.


THIS YEAR the SMC has launched the 2008-2009 Sderot Community Treatment Theater to help area high school students express their stories and relate their rocket experiences through the theater.

Two high schools were chosen to take part in the project; Amit Mekif Dati and the Amit Ulpana. In each school, a group of 15 girls were chosen to produce the theaterical play which will derive much of its material from discussions and activities that will take place in the therapy sessions and workshops. The girls will write the script, perform and produce the play, with the guidance of the SMC theater director. Psychologist Debby Gross, and clinical social worker, Nechama Munk facilitate each session with the students.

Sderot Media theater director, Livnat Shaubi, oversees all aspects of the project. The treatment therapy sessions will be documented by video cameras, in order to be used later on as 'hasbara' or advocacy material on the rocket situation in Sderot.
Sderot Theater Progress 2008-2009
1) Community theater now in motion!
2) First meeting with high school girls and principal
3) Theater Sessions: SMC theater director, Livnat Shaubi meets with high school students and social workers
4) Acting Out Against Rockets in Sderot

The SMC vision is to open a facility that will provide therapy for youth victims of rocket attacks through the arts. It is crucial that Israeli victims of Palestinian missile terror learn to share their stories through creative means of expression that will eventually reach people across the world.
In order for this vision to become a reality, SMC seeks your sponsorship.
The SMC Community Theater therapy program entails the following:
Each Sderot Community Treatment Theater will be run by a theater professional, assisted by a mental health professional.

Each production workshop will recruit 20-30 teenagers who have been diagnosed with symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome.
Participants will be given the chance to share the untold story of the traumatic human consequence of life under Palestinian missiles fired from Gaza.
Each performance will be filmed, footage will be edited and provided for the electronic media and for the film industry in Israel and abroad.
The time allotted for each production will be three months.

View articles and video of SMC's previous Sderot Children's Theater in July 2007:'Sderot Children's Theater to Perform in America
''The loudest memories'- The Boston Globe Sunday,
Sunday, July 29, 2007'19 Sderot children performing on Monday, July 30th in Brooklyn: "Life Under Fire in Sderot"'

#Missiles continue to Strike #Israel in February

By • Anav Silverman

Fri Feb 5 2009 08:44:13

Source: www.SderotMedia.com

Palestinian rocket fire against Israel continued throughout the first week of February despite the unilateral ceasefire declared by Israel and Hamas two weeks ago on Sunday, January 18.

Around 18 Qassam rockets and mortar shells were fired from Gaza and struck Israel on Sunday February 1. Four of the mortar shells exploded in the Sha'ar Hanegev region of the western Negev, injuring three Israelis including two IDF soldiers and one civilian. Three other rockets struck the Eshkol region, with one rocket landing between two kindergartens. No injuries or damages were reported.

On Monday evening, February 2, the Tzeva Adom sounded in the city of Sderot. The Qassam landed in open fields outside Sderot, reportedly wounding no one and causing no damage.

On Tuesday, February 3, a Grad type missile struck the center city of Ashkelon early in the morning, as Ashkelon children made their way to school. At 7 am, the air raid siren sounded in Ashkelon followed by the Grad explosion. The Grad rocket struck a residential neighborhood in central Ashkelon, landing between buildings and smashing into the rear of a vacated bus. One woman was lightly injured in the attack and three people went into shock. All were evacuated to Ashkelon's Barzilai Medical Center. Rocket shrapnel damaged several cars, and shattered windowpanes.

This was the second time that a Grad rocket was fired at Ashkelon since the ceasefire began. On Saturday January 31, a Grad rocket slammed just south of Ashkelon, exploding in an open area with the siren blaring throughout the city in the early morning. During Operation Cast Lead, nearly 100 Grad-Katyusha rockets struck Ashkelon within three weeks.

Despite the Grad rocket attack on Ashkelon, Kerem Shalom, Karni, Nahal Oz and Erez crossings operated throughout Tuesday, enabling a total of 218 trucks with 6106 tons of supplies into Gaza. Over 446,000 liters of heavy duty diesel for the Gaza power station and 250 tons of cooking gas were transferred via the Nahal Oz fuel depot on Tuesday, followed by another 200 trucks of humanitarian aid on Wednesday.

Over 30 rockets, mortar shells, and Grad missiles have been fired at Israel since the ceasefire began.

Israel has responded by conducting strikes on tunnels Hamas continues to use smuggle weapons from Egypt and Hamas training positions.

*YNetnews.com, Haaretz.com, and Imra.org.il contributed to this report.

#Israel Pre-Election debate on #Gaza missile threat

By • Anav Silverman
Thu Feb 4 2009 07:27:23

This past Sunday evening, February 1, Sderot Media Center held a pre-election event for the English-speaking Jerusalem public on the issue of Sderot and the western Negev at the Israel Center. Political candidates from nine political parties of the 34 parties running for general election on February 10, gathered together to discuss how their respective parties would handle the continued Palestinian rocket fire terrorizing Sderot and the western Negev.

Noam Bedein, director of Sderot Media Center, opened the session with a SMC video on the protected playgrounds in Sderot,, and which had been distributed through the Israel Foreign Ministry to Israeli embassies throughout the world.



Bedein pointed out that after the second Hamas-Israel ceasefire, (June 19-December 19, 2008) Palestinian rockets were able to reach unforeseen distances to cities such as Gedera, Ashdod, and Beersheva. "As of today, we have one million Israelis living under Palestinian rocket threat," said Bedein.

"I don't have enough fingers to count the amount of times, missiles have exploded just a few meters from a kindergarten filled with children- why is it that we have to wait unit a kindergarten classroom struck by a direct hit in order to get the international community's support and for Israel to do what's right for her own people," said Bedein.




Video: Meital Ohayon

Elli Wohlgelernter of IBA TV and Jay Bushinsky of WINS and KYW Radio moderated the panel and offered their own perspectives on Sderot, the western Negev and the Middle East conflict.

The central question of the evening addressed to the candidates was "what role will Sderot and the western Negev play in the 2009 elections?"
It was obvious to the panel of candidates that the situation in Sderot was nothing less than tragic and the rocket fire must stop. However, when it came to actually proposing a specific course of action in order to end the eight years of rocket fire, most of the candidates could do nothing more than recite the basic platforms of their parties.

Meretz representative, MK Tzivia Greenfield talked about ending occupation. Kadima MK, Shlomo Mula spoke about a two-state solution, but refused to conduct negotiations with Hamas. Dr. Noah Efron of Meimad/Green promised to provide more financial support to development cities like Sderot. Labor MK Colette Avital stated that there was no way to decapitate Hamas. John Daly of the HaYisraelim party, talked of his party's platform to implement direct regional elections, and change the current system where the Israeli public at large does not elect a single parliament member directly.


Yisrael Beitainu's Danny Hershtal was a little clearer regarding the rocket situation, stating that the IDF must control the Philadelphi Corridor once again in order to stop the smuggling of rockets into the Gaza Strip. The representatives from the National Union and Habayit Hayehudi also agreed that military action must be taken. Likud MK Yuli Edelstein spoke about the recent IDF operation in Gaza and its "unfortunate abrupt finish."

This was the first pre-election event in English dedicated to the Sderot and western Negev issue. To see parts of the political discussions and learn more about each party's standpoint, the event can be viewed on YouTube and internationally on Shalom TV.

Sderot Media Center

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