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War on Terror

'Keep clear or die'

IDF launches ?Operation Blue Skies? -- sets up northern-Gaza no-go zone


By Stan Goodenough
December 28, 2005

Israel Wednesday evening moved to ramp up its hitherto mild and ineffective response level to what has become daily multiple firing of Kassam rockets at Israeli population centers from inside the Gaza Strip.

At 6 PM local time Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces began firing artillery shells into a strip of unoccupied territory in order to establish a no-go zone and push back the terrorists who have been launching Kassams and mortar shells at towns, kibbutzim and army bases in the north-eastern Negev.

Minutes before Israel?s big guns opened up, a single Kassam was fired towards the town of Sderot. No injuries were reported.

The Arabs? targets are Jews of any kind, especially civilians. Earlier this week a Kassam fell close to an Israeli kindergarten.

Unwilling to just bomb the Strip or fire indiscriminately into it ? as recommended by a number of Israeli lawmakers ? the IDF chose to drop pamphlets on the area?s Arab population over a 48 hour period, warning them that the ?security zone? would be set up under the name ?Operation Blue Skies.?

Maps of the no-go area were also handed to Palestinian Authority officials in order to ensure the notice was communicated to everyone in the area.

According to reports, the pamphlets said that anyone entering the zone faced the possibility of being killed.

?Whoever ignores this warning is putting his life in genuine danger," the leaflet said. "Know that terror elements have turned you into hostages and a human shield and are undermining your interests.?

Israel?s purpose is to police movement in the restricted area by ?remote control? utilizing the air force and artillery.

Anyone living in close proximity to the launching of Kassam rockets has been urged to vacate the area quickly because Israel ?expects to respond with fire.?

Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas has refused to take action against those firing the rockets leaving Israel with little choice but to respond itself.

IDF officials reportedly believe the buffer zone will reduce the number of Kassam attacks, but not stop them.

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