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JPost Middle East- Analysis: Why has the West Bank been quiet? January 6, 2009
- Lebanon doubts Hizbullah will open second front January 6, 2009
- UNSC to meet on Gaza resolution January 6, 2009
- Hamas opens hospital for gunmen January 6, 2009
- Sarkozy urges Assad to press for truce January 6, 2009
- ynet - Updates for RSS
- Gunmen attack TV station in northern Mexico January 7, 2009
- Report: Palestinian terrorist killed in Gaza January 7, 2009
- Bush adviser: Iran, Pakistan key Obama challenges January 7, 2009
- Judge to ponder whether Bernard Madoff dangerous January 7, 2009
- Rice says US supports Mubarak proposal on Gaza January 7, 2009
- Haaretz.com - News
- Venezuelan President Chavez: Gaza operation is a Palestinian 'holocaust' January 7, 2009Venezuela expelled the ambassador to Israel on Tuesday in protest over the offensive in Gaza only hours after leftist President Hugo Chavez called the attacks a Palestinian "holocaust." ...
- Israel to establish 'humanitarian corridor' for the Gaza Strip January 7, 2009Israel will set up a "humanitarian corridor" to counter a crisis caused by its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office said on Wednesday. ...
- Obama breaks silence on Gaza, calls civilian deaths 'deep concern' January 7, 2009Barack Obama, who takes over as U.S. president from George W. Bush on January 20, broke his silence about the violence in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, calling the loss of civilian lives in Gaza and in Israel a "source of deep concern for me." ...
- As truce efforts grow, Israel mulls expanding Gaza ground op January 7, 2009Israel's political leadership will meet in Tel Aviv on Wednesday morning to discuss expanding the ground offensive in the Gaza Strip at a time when most of the aims of the operation have been met. ...
- ANALYSIS / Israel must double, triple, quadruple its medical aid to Gaza January 7, 2009A few days ago, Physicians for Human Rights began soliciting $700,000 in donations for hospitals in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli humanitarian organization also provided a detailed list of the medical equipment Gaza lacks, including portable monitors, respirators, ultrasound and X-ray machines, wheelchairs, needles, dressings, catheters, oxygen, medical gases, endo-tracheal tubes, screws and plates for shattered limbs, and surgical gloves. According to PHR, Gaza also has a severe shortage of intensive-care beds, which cost about $50,000 apiece. Moreover, many Palestinian ambulances are out of commission. ...
- Venezuelan President Chavez: Gaza operation is a Palestinian 'holocaust' January 7, 2009
50+ rockets hit Israel today: latest developments
By Joel C. Rosenberg
(Washington, D.C., December 31, 2008) — The Gaza war rages on with no immediate end in sight. Indeed, Israeli sources tell me a ground operation into Gaza is not yet definite, but is likely.
Israel has rightfully rejected a French-proposed 48 hour cease-fire, saying the Gaza operation will continue until Israel’s goal of shutting down the terrorist rocket threat is accomplished. The leaders of the European Union, Russia, and many governments around the world are putting enormous pressure on Israel to stop defending the Jewish people and stop attacking the terrorist strongholds in Gaza. This is crazy. Why do the Europeans and Russians have such a double-standard when it comes to Israeli national security?
More than 6,300 rockets and missiles have been fired at Israel by Hamas since Israeli withdrew its military forces from Gaza in 2005. Some 400 rockets have been fired at Israel just since December 19th. Would the French or Germans agree to a cease-fire if they were being hit by hundreds and thousands of rockets, missiles, and mortars by enemies sworn to annihilate them? Of course not. The Russians invaded Georgia for far, far less.
“We didn’t initiate the Gaza operation in order to end it while Israeli towns are still under fire, as they were before the operation,” Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told reporters. “Israel has shown restraint for years; she gave the truce a chance; we told ourselves ‘let’s try it,’ but Hamas violated the truce.”
I don’t often say this, but Olmert is right. Hamas must be crushed, not coddled. Yet the world is trying to coddle these Palestinian Radical Islamic jihadists. It’s an outrage. The onus is on the Hamas terrorists to lay down their arms and stop firing rockets into Israel. Until that happens, the IDF should continue fighting.
It pains me to see the suffering on both sides, but this is entirely Hamas’ responsibility. They were urged by Egypt, by Mahmoud Abbas, and by the Israelis not to let the previous cease-fire lapse, but they chose war instead. They have never been hit this hard. Indeed, Gaza has not seen this level of fighting since 1967.
Israelis living within rocket range are truly safe and secure. Yet, the Islamic Radicals in Gaza don’t appear ready to surrender. To the contrary, Hamas is using longer-range rockets than ever before - some of them made in Iran - putting hundreds of thousands of more Israeli at risk than in previous clashes. Hamas has already fired more than 50 rockets, mortars and missiles at Israel as of 4pm local time (9am eastern). Two hit the Israeli city of Beersheva last night, some 28 miles from Gaza. This is the first time Beersheva has ever been in range of Gaza-fired rockets. Haaretz reports that no one was injured but 40 people were treated for shock. The city is rattled, and theaters, cinemas and other shops and businesses are shutting down. Rockets also continue to hit the town of Sderot, and the Israeli coastal cities Ashkelon and Ashdod. I’m told that most of the children in Sderot have been evacuated from the town. Many are now temporarily relocated to northern Israeli cities and towns, such as Haifa.
Iran, in addition to providing Hamas longer-range rockets, is also now apparently recruiting some 10,000 volunteer suicide bombers to attack Israel.
To visit Joel’s new weblog site and get the latest developments in Israel, Russia and the epicenter — including links to stories mentioned in this Flash Traffic report — please click here
To purchase a copy of EPICENTER 2.0 from Amazon.com (32% off), please click here
To visit Joel’s website — www.joelrosenberg.com — please click here
GAZA WAR: Prayer Update
The people of the Holy Land are going through great pain and suffering right now. But we should not be discouraged. Rather, we must turn to the Scriptures for the Lord’s perspective, embrace His promises, and obey His commands.
The Bible is clear: God loves the people of Israel, as well as their neighbors. He has a wonderful plan for their lives, plans for good and not for evil, plans to give them a future and a hope. Jesus offers those who choose to follow Him true peace that cannot be found anywhere else. He promises to protect His people. He promises them an abundant life here, and in the hereafter. He promises to answer their prayers when they pray for His will to be done and pray in His Name. What’s more, He commands His followers to love their neighbors and their enemies. He commands them to feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, and care for the suffering. Should we not draw near to Him and follow Him wholeheartedly at this critical time?
“I have loved you with an everlasting love,” the Lord says in Jeremiah 31:3. “Therefore, I have drawn you with lovingkindness.”
“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (I John 4:8)
“For I know the plans that I have for you,” says the Lord in Jeremiah 29:11-13, “plans for welfare and not calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy, but I came that they might have life and have it abundantly,” said Jesus in John 10:10.
“Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper….The Lord will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul. The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever.” (Psalm 121:4,5,7,8)
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you,” said Jesus in John 14:27. “I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
Jesus said, “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also….I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me….Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” (John 14:1-3,12-14)
“If you love me,” Jesus said in John 14:15, “you will obey what I command.”
* Please continue praying for real peace — not just the absence of conflict but the presence of true justice and true security on both sides of the fence.
* Please also continue praying for the scores of children on both sides who are being traumatized by all the rockets and bombs — pray for the Lord to comfort and care for them in a supernatural way.
* Please pray for the followers of Jesus in Israel and Gaza, that they will have courage and hope from the Lord, that they will hear from the Holy Spirit how best to love their neighbors and their enemies, and that by their words and actions they can communicate the good news of God’s great love and plan for Israel and her neighbors.
* Please continue praying for wisdom and discernment for The Joshua Fund leadership team, as well. We are in contact with our allies on the ground in Israel and readying relief supplies to help them care for those in severe need. We are presently trying to connect with our Arab evangelical Christian allies as well to see how we can help them, too.
* Please also pray that we can recruit 100,000 allies who are willing to pray knowledgeably, faithfully and consistently for the people of the epicenter. Already some 80,000 have signed up from around the world.
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As always, we will do our best to keep you up-to-date on the kinds of projects we are doing, and brief you on how those projects are proceeding. We will also let you know about the kinds of projects we are developing for the future. In no way do we want to pressure anyone to give financially. We fully believe the Lord will provide for the needs of the people we seek to serve. But if you or others wish to help, we welcome your support, and all financial gifts are tax-deductible.
If you would like to make a year-end contribution to the on-going work of The Joshua Fund please make your check payable to “The Joshua Fund” and send to:
The Joshua Fund
18950 Base Camp Road
Monument, Colorado 80132-8009
Thanks so much and may the Lord richly bless you and your family as you bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus — especially at critical moment in history of the epicenter.
Would you consider making a donation of $25, $40 or $60 a month to The Joshua Fund? Please click here to find out more, and/or to make a secure donation on-line.
Three webcasts from San Diego and Jerusalem
REPORT FROM INSIDE THE ISRAELI WAR ZONE
Joshua Fund mobilizing evangelical Christians all over the world to pray for peace and to help provide emergency relief aid to victims of war and terror.
By Joel C. Rosenberg
(Denver, Colorado, December 29, 2008) — Last night, I received a report by email from inside the Israeli war zone, from an evangelical friend in the Israeli town of Sderot, located on the southern border with Gaza.
“Yesterday was a day full of explosions on both sides [of the border],” he wrote. “I have temporarily moved out of my apartments [and] am staying with a friend with a bomb shelter maybe 30 feet away….I realize more and more that I am not in control of my life and I am thankful that G-d is. Between tank fire and jets flying overhead it is a bit nerve-wracking, but again I know who holds my life in His hand and I know I need to be about my Father’s business….We have been told that the worst is yet to come and we should plan on having enough food on hand until the end of March….Just as He has always been to His children in the past, I know once again He will be faithful - that’s who He is, the Faithful One.”
On Saturday, I received an email from a Jewish friend who also lives in Sderot. “I just finished reading the Flash Traffic you’ve sent today,” he wrote. “Being held here in Sderot since this morning under marshal law, it was one of the good things that I enjoyed today and your report was excellent. I also join you in prayer tha the leaders here will have the wisdom and courage to destroy terrorists…in Hamastan-ruled-Gaza….We are under fire, but we know that He will protect us.”
The Joshua Fund is doing everything we can to stand with these and other friends and to let them know that they are not alone. We are mobilizing evangelical Christians all over the world to pray for peace on the Israel-Gaza border and to show unconditional love and unwavering support. We are asking you and others to continue praying for wisdom and courage for Israel’s leaders as they seek to decimate the Hamas terrorist infrastructure and reacquire the deterrence factor lost during the 2006 war with Hezbollah in Lebanon.
* Please pray for the half million Israelis living within rocket and missile range of Gaza. They and their children have no idea what today and tomorrow hold.
* Pray for the Lord to comfort and calm their hearts. Please pray for the 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza, many of whom find themselves trapped in the crossfire of a war that Hamas started but that they as individuals and families don’t want.
* Please pray for the wounded on both sides, and the families who have lost loved ones.
* Please also lift up the believers in Jesus in Israel and Gaza who are seeking the Lord’s strength to help them love their neighbors and their enemies in real and practical ways in the name of Jesus.
* Pray that the believers can be lights in the darkness, bringing good news and hope to those who feel hopeless and alone.
* Finally, please pray that the Lord would be gracious to provide our Joshua Fund leadership team with wisdom to know how best to help those who are now victims of war and terrorism, and sufficient financial resources to meet those needs quickly and wisely.
Hamas terrorists have shown no signs of surrendering their vicious, evil war against the Jews of Israel. As of 4pm Israel time (9am eastern) on Monday, at least 50 rockets and missiles had been fired from Gaza at the Israeli towns of Sderot, Ashkelon and Ashdod. Israeli military forces, meanwhile, continue to pummel Hamas headquarters, rocket launching pads, and other military infrastructure. The deputy chief of staff of the IDF is warning Israeli that, “We are just at the beginning of the battle, this will not be hasty. The worst is not behind us — it is still ahead of us, and we should be prepared for this. Our resilience will be determine by the functioning of the authority and the way the civilians are protected.”
I’m soon boarding a plane back to D.C. Will update you more as I can. God bless you.
To visit Joel’s new weblog site and get the latest developments in Israel, Russia and the epicenter — including links to stories mentioned in this Flash Traffic report — please click here
To purchase a copy of EPICENTER 2.0 from Amazon.com (32% off), please click here
To visit Joel’s website — www.joelrosenberg.com — please click here
THE FUTURE OF THE U.S., ISRAEL AND RADICAL ISLAM? Three webcasts
What does the future hold for the U.S., Israel and the people of the Muslim world? What are the threats we face? How ought followers of Jesus Christ live in light of dramatic and dangerous geopolitical and religious trends?
On Sunday, December 7th — the anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941 — Lt.-General (ret.) William “Jerry” Boykin and I were honored to speak on such issues at four events in San Diego, including two morning church services at Horizon Christian Fellowship, a luncheon with business and political leaders, and an evening church service where we did an extended question & answer session. Boykin, who has become a dear friend, is a founding member of the U.S. Army’s elite Delta Force. He later became the commander of Delta, and then was in charge of training 10,000 special forces at Fort Bragg, before being promoted to Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence. He is also the author of the must-read memoir, Never Surrender.
The General and I spoke on the threats facing the United States and Israel from Radical Islam and the risk of being blindsided by future attacks. During the morning services, I focused on what Bible prophecy says about the future of the Middle East and the world. During the evening session, I gave a sneak preview of Inside The Revolution, which will be released March 10th of next year. I also talked about the work of The Joshua Fund to bless Israel and her neighbors with food, clothing, medical supplies and other relief aid. If you have time, I would encourage you to watch the following webcasts. Special thanks to Horizon’s senior pastor Mike MacIntosh and his team for inviting us and hosting such great events. Together, we are organizing the first-ever U.S. “Epicenter Conference” for next spring. Details coming soon.
Also, several weeks ago, I had the privilege of speaking at a wonderful evangelical congregation in Israel. There, I spoke on the urgent need for godly, Christ-centered leadership as the world faces dangerous, uncertain times. I hope you will have some time to watch this webcast as well. See link below.
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As always, we will do our best to keep you up-to-date on the kinds of projects we are doing, and brief you on how those projects are proceeding. We will also let you know about the kinds of projects we are developing for the future. In no way do we want to pressure anyone to give financially. We fully believe the Lord will provide for the needs of the people we seek to serve. But if you or others wish to help, we welcome your support, and all financial gifts are tax-deductible.
If you would like to make a year-end contribution to the on-going work of The Joshua Fund please make your check payable to “The Joshua Fund” and send to:
The Joshua Fund
18950 Base Camp Road
Monument, Colorado 80132-8009
Thanks so much and may the Lord richly bless you and your family as you bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus — especially at critical moment in history of the epicenter.
Would you consider making a donation of $25, $40 or $60 a month to The Joshua Fund? Please click here to find out more, and/or to make a secure donation on-line.
Three webcasts from San Diego and Jerusalem
Hamas Machine-Gun Fire at Air Force Helicopters
(IsraelNN.com) Hamas terrorists aimed machine guns at IAF helicopters Sunday night during three counterterrorist strikes on terrorists. No one was injured, and none of the pilots reported damage from the fire.
The terrorist organization warned that it is training its growing army to prepare for “Zionist war forces.” Hamas’s official website uses the term “Zionist” in order to avoid using the term “Israel.”
“The Zionist forces announced that the Zionist Air Force is ready to execute number of war attacks at the Palestinians over [Gaza] in the next two days,” Hamas stated. “Hamas representatives are not ruling out a renewal of all resistance means as a response to the Zionist aggression…. Rocket fire is in the hands of the military wing. It will decide how to react.”
Terrorists fired 20 Kassam rockets and several mortar shells on Sunday, but no attacks were reported as of 9 a.m. Monday. Egypt has urged Hamas to stop the attacks, and Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Prof. Gabriela Shalev filed a complaint with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon over the escalation in Gaza terrorist violence.
Sunday’s attacks reached as far north as Ashkelon; one foreign worker was wounded while working in a Moshav greenhouse and one house in Sderot sustained a direct hit, sending one person into shock.
Sderot under fire: 3 hurt in rocket strike
Further escalation in south: More than 20 Qassams fired at southern Israeli communities Wednesday; Rocket explodes in Sderot parking lot, three people sustain light wounds. Defense Minister Barak: We’ll operate in Gaza when time is right
Shmulik Hadad
| Latest Update: | 12.17.08, 20:40 / Israel News |
Three people were wounded Wednesday during a tough day in southern Israel that saw more than 20 rockets fired at Negev communities.
Addressing the rocket strikes Wednesday evening, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said that the IDF will embark on a Gaza operation once the situation requires such move.
“‘We are not deterred by a broad operation in Gaza, but we do not wish to rush into such operation,” he said. “We will act when the time is right; we will decide what the right time and place are.” One rocket exploded in the parking lot of a large commercial center in the southern town of Sderot. Two people sustained light wounds in the attack after being hit by shrapnel, while another man suffered damage to his ears. Magen David Adom ambulance service teams treated the wounded, who were later taken to hospital in Ashkelon. Medical teams also treated numerous anxiety victims at the scene.
Aftermath of attack: Nearby supermarket (Photo: Ze’ev Trachtman)
The rocket landed in the area while hundreds of shoppers were at the site. Vehicles and a nearby store sustained extensive damage in the strike.
‘Chaos at the site’
Sderot resident Yair Madmon told Ynet: “I arrived at the supermarket…when I stood by the entrance, I heard the loud whistle, and then the explosion, which happened right before my eyes. The rocket landed close to me…it was scary.”
“Qassams landed in my backyard twice in the past, yet this time it was much scarier,” he said. “There was chaos at the site. Products flew off the shelves, people started screaming and running away, and many children were crying. It was simply scary to see it; I’m still frightened by what had happened.”
A short while after the attack, the Air Force fired at a rocket launcher in the northern Gaza Strip. The IDF said the launcher was ready for use.
‘Situation is unbearable’
Earlier Wednesday, the Palestinians fired 10 Qassam rockets from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel.
Seven rockets landed within the Eshkol Regional Council. There were no reports of injuries or damage in the earlier strikes. Shortly afterwards, a mortar shell landed within the Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council, without causing injuries or damage. Another rocket landed in the same area later in the day.
“We woke up to the sounds of the Color Red alert system and explosions,” Ella Fox, a community manager in one of the council’s kibbutzim, told Ynet. “We are strong, but this situation is unbearable. Instead of starting our day like any other citizen in the State of Israel, we’re forced to start it like this.”
Just a letter from Sderot- IMPRESSIVE
One of the students who greeted Olmert was fourth-grader Orel Levi, who has wanted to meet Olmert for years in order to tell him about life in Sderot. Levi read a letter she had written aloud to Olmert during his visit.
Levi’s letter reads thus:
To the Prime Minister of Israel, Ehud Olmert,
Hello Prime Minister, I wanted to tell you about the security situation, I suffer a lot because of the Kassams and it’s hard to live like this. What helps us a lot and strengthens us is prayer and faith in God, when we pray God makes miracles, and the Kassams fall in open areas.
When I walk to school in the morning I’m afraid “Color Red” [Sderot's rocket warning system—ed.] will catch me on the way. When I learn I hear “Color Red” and I think, “Where did it fall?” Where are my father and mother, what’s happening to my siblings? Then I say “Shir HaMaalot” [one of the 'Songs of Degrees' from Psalms—ed.] and feel much safer.
I love to learn in school, my school is fortified against attacks and whoever needs help and support knows he has someone to go to.
I want to tell you Prime Minister that the Kassams make a scary noise, my legs tremble a lot and my heart beats hard. After each Kassam we go back to learning and keep on going like nothing happened, because that’s our reality.
That’s how we live, we’ll continue to pray and God will help us with our lives. This is our routine and with God’s help we will deal with our fears with help from the teachers and our families and everyone who loves us. Prime Minister help us, it’s hard for us, please help us live like every other child in the country.
We know how to strike, Olmert tells
PM, Deputy Defense Minister Vilnai visit Gaza vicinity communities that are under almost daily rocket attacks. In meeting with children, Olmert says he shares their fears, Israel cannot tolerate attacksThe prime minister warned against continued attacks. “I would like to say with the greatest of care that we do not for one moment tolerate such a lifestyle in which we have to run to shelters to hide from our enemies.
“We know what needs to be done, we also know when and how to do it so that you won’t live in fear, you won’t have to run short of breath. We know what to do, how, and when and we will do it.”
Olmert hugging child in Kibbutz Gevim kindergarten (photo: AFP)
Sources: IDF told to show restraint on rockets
Military sources told Haaretz that despite the recent escalation in the volume of rocket fire from Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces have been ordered to maintain a policy of restraint.
As a result, the IDF is embarking on very few operations against the rocket-launching crews.
Since the Gaza border flared up again on November 4, following an IDF operation to destroy a tunnel near the border in which six Hamas operatives were killed, more than 200 rockets have been fired at Israel.
This includes 32 Grad Katyushas fired at Ashkelon over the course of a few days. The IDF views this as proof that Hamas and Islamic Jihad have large stockpiles of rockets, including sizable numbers of the longer-range Katyushas.
While Hamas was directly responsible for some of the earlier launches, over the last two weeks, it has largely left the firing to other factions.
Palestinian efforts to lay bombs near the border have also spiked in recent weeks.
However, the IDF’s rules of engagement have remained unchanged. Soldiers are allowed to fire freely at rocket- and mortar-launching cells immediately before, during or after a launch, and with permission from a senior officer, they can also fire at Palestinians trying to lay bombs within half a kilometer of the border fence. Other than that, however, no offensive operations are permitted: For instance, the army cannot attack Hamas’ offices or training facilities or assassinate members of its military wing.
The main method via which Israel has tried to pressure Hamas instead is by tightening the blockade of Gaza. But while Hamas is feeling the pressure, it could opt to respond not by lowering the violence, but by escalating it, in the hopes of achieving a new cease-fire on better terms.
Meanwhile, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Tuesday Israel would allow the entry of aid to the Gaza Strip for the day, following 24 hours without a rocket being fired at the western Negev.
Approximately 40 trucks carrying food and medicine will be allowed to enter through the Kerem Shalom crossing, and additional trucks carrying diesel fuel and cooking oil will be allowed through the Nahal Oz crossing.
The fact that Hamas has asserted almost total control over the smuggling tunnels from Egypt means that it largely determines what kind of merchandise enters the Strip. Israeli defense officials estimate that some 150,000 liters of low-quality diesel fuel enters Gaza via the tunnels every day, which enables trucks and buses to operate on a limited basis.
This also allows Hamas to reserve the fuel that arrives from Israel, which is of much higher quality, for the use of its military wing and key Hamas-run government offices.
Currently, both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority are pressing Israel to allow the entry of tens of millions of shekels worth of paper currency into Gaza.
The Strip’s economy is still largely shekel-based, and it is currently facing a serious currency shortage, as many existing bills are too worn out to use. Some of the money would be used to pay salaries to employees of government offices affiliated with the PA.
PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad raised this issue in recent talks with Defense Minister Ehud Barak and the head of the Defense Ministry’s diplomatic unit, Maj. Gen. (res.) Amos Gilad. However, Israel has not yet decided whether to accede to Fayyad’s request.
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Qassams, mortars hit Negev
Islamic Jihad claims responsibility for firing of four rockets, 10 mortars toward south Israel; no injuries reported. Palestinians: Attacks response to Israeli aggression
Shmulik Hadad
| Published: | 12.03.08, 15:11 / Israel News |
Three Qassam rockets fired from northern Gaza at around noon Wednesday landed in open areas within the Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council limits. Earlier another rocket and 10 mortars were fired toward Israeli communities surrounding the Hamas-controlled territory. There were no reports of injuries in either barrage.
Islamic Jihad’s al-Quds Brigades claimed responsibility for the rocket fire, saying it was “a response to Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement.” The past 24 hours have seen at least 15 mortars and a number of Qassams fired toward the Negev region.
According to local security officers, the terrorists usually launch attacks at the beginning and end of schooldays. They added that the Palestinians have increased their use of mortars since the IDF has been relatively successful in thwarting the rocket fire emanating from the Strip.
“To the residents it makes no difference whether it is a Qassam or a mortar that is fired, the explosion is the same explosion; the fear is the same fear, especially among children,” said Rafi Bavian, head of security at the Sdet Negev Regional Council.
A senior Palestinian figure told Ynet that the attacks did not mean that the Palestinians were not committed to the agreed upon ceasefire with Israel.
“The truce has not collapsed yet, but the Palestinians will not accept a situation in which they cannot respond to Israeli aggression. Any aggressive act by the occupational army will be met with a response from us,” he said.However, Eshkol Regional Council head Haim Yalin said “there is no calm; there is a war of attrition here; a war that has been going on for eight years and is only deteriorating. We are trying to lead a normal daily routine here under incessant rocket and mortar fire.”
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