Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Eleven Months.

This is coolbert:

"Preserving my people is more important than universal moral concepts:" - Benny Morris.

Here with excerpts and comments from a Chicago Tribune article.

The Israeli city of Sderot. Under bombardment by Qassam rockets, sporadically, for eight years! The catalyst that led to the Israeli army incursion into Gaza, eleven months ago.

"Taking the edge off war"

"Bringing about peace of mind"

"After Palestinian militants lobbed rockets in Sderot for eight years, killing 10 people, Israel unleashed it military might on stifling Gaza last December, cutting a swath of destruction"

"Eleven months later, the mayor says Sderot [Stay-row] is a quieter place, targeted by only one or two rockets a month."

In interviews with the mayor of Sderot:

Q "Given the criticism of Israel since the operation, was it worth it?"

A "For eight years we (wanted) the army to go into Gaza. No country can let us its citizens suffer for eight years."

Q "There were concerns that some soldiers did things that were not proper."

A "When you send a few thousand soldiers to war, you cannot be 100 percent sure that they will keep in mind everything that you told them."

Q "What about the question of proportionality? Fourteen hundred Palestinians died and 13 Israelis."

A "This is really disproportionate, but I don't think we have to apologize . . . it was war."

Q "Why not take away the militant' ability to make trouble for you? Why not move the people out of Sderot?"

A "Hamas started with Kassams that traveled three or four kilometers. Now they have rockets that travel 40 kilometers. We have to give them the idea that it's not good for them to launch rockets. They lose more than they gain."

Comments::

* During that eight years of bombardment ten folks killed in Sderot. I am not trying to sound flippant here but the stress, the tension, the anxiety, the knowledge among the inhabitants that "someone" is trying to kill you is worse than the casualties themselves?

* Hamas "fighters", are indeed developing and fielding rocket artillery firing rounds that were bigger, traveled further, and were much more lethal. Qassam was just the first in a whole family of rocket artillery rounds that had been manufactured by Hamas. And if the Iranians were able to supply Hamas with even much more sophisticated rocket artillery, everyone in Israel look out! Moving the population of Sderot is not an option!

coolbert.





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