#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.