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Terrorism

Israel bows, sends aid; Arabs rejoice, send rockets


By Stan Goodenough
November 17, 2008

Foreign governments and international aid organizations at the weekend demanded the Israeli government allow shipments of food and humanitarian aid into Gaza, despite the fact that rockets fired from the Strip - with the enthusiastic support of its Arab residents - continue to pulverize southern Israel.

No balancing voices were heard demanding that Arab leaders work robustly to end the terrorism.

In a show of weakness portrayed as good will, Jerusalem Monday caved to the pressure and agreed to allow 30 trucks carrying supplies to enter Gaza while Arabs continued to bombard Israeli towns with Kassam rockets and mortars.

Even as the convoy was being readied, eight rockets were fired into the western Negev in a show of defiance that underscored the futility of the Israeli gesture.

No injuries were reported but a number of homes were damaged.

More rockets were fired in the afternoon.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak, accompanying visiting British Foreign Secretary David Miliband on a tour of bombarded Sderot, made the preposterous statement that Israel "will act when the conditions ripen and there will be need for such action, and we will act with force."

Asked when precisely those conditions would be considered ripe, given that volleys of rockets were falling even today, Barak answered without actually answering.

"We will act promptly when the time comes. The IDF is strong and prepared. Such an operation has several aspects… we are considering the issue and we will act precisely according to what is required, when it is required," he said, according to The Jerusalem Post.

For his part Miliband termed the rocket attacks "intolerable," but instead of supporting Israel's right to hit back, he urged the government to continue pursuing talks with the PLO/Palestinian Authority.

Years of such :responses" to terrorism have led to only more of the same with the resulting increased casualty rate among Israelis.

Earlier, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni also told Miliband that Israel reserved the right to defend its citizens.

But while the IDF has reportedly submitted its recommendations and plans for terminating the rocket threat to the government, there is little sign Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is preparing to implement any effective strategy at this time.

According to Ynetnews, Livni also called upon the international community to make it clear to the Hamas terror group that runs Gaza that it is responsible for the plight of its people.

Observers note that by wanting to relieve that plight, Israel was actually undermining this position and demonstrating that the Jewish state has "a guilty conscience."

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