Palestinian Rocket Barrage on Israeli civilian population in Sderot

By Endre Mozes 21 May 2007 – Updated Sept. 9

Is the 'occupation' really the Palestinians' main problem? There are no Israelis in Gaza for more than two years now, but intra-Palestinian violence has only increased there. Hamas and the Fattah killed more than 60 of each other's people there in a week. While this Palestinian military chaos joins their existing political and economic chaos and while all foreign aid intended to help the Palestinian people end up in gang wars or illegal military actions, the question arises whether the Palestinian society and particularly its leaders are mature enough for self-rule.

In the same period also 140 Kassam rockets were fired at the Israeli civilian population of Sderot and its vicinity, mostly by gunmen of the Hamas; of the official rulers of Palestinian Authority.  However, their attempt to draw Israel into Gaza for a military ground operation - failed.  

While Hamas demonstrates again that it has remained a terrorist organization - as it was classified by the US, UK and the whole UN in the past - Israel on the other hand demonstrated remarkable constraint and proved to be a moderate even in front of  such harshest Hamas  violations of the previous truce.

Schools have been closed in Sderot and more sensitive parts of Sderot's civilian population have been evacuated. Israel's PM, Minister of Defense and the Chief of Staff all agreed not to launch a major ground operation to Gaza, but to target from the air directly the Hamas perpetrators of the Kassam rocket attacks, and them only. The Israeli government declared that until the Hamas continues the indiscriminate bombing of the civilian population in Sderot and elsewhere in Israel, no Hamas leaders can feel safe either.

Read two further writings about Sderot right below. Read 2 relevant Readers' Letters; ‘2503 Children Don't Go to School in Sderot and Gaza' and: 'Gaza - Confronting is Not Joining' on our English page http://www.take-a-pen.org/english/index.html or Click the 'English' button above).

And wherever you see a distorted description of the situation in Gaza or in Sderot - Write your own Reader's Letter!