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War on Terror

Israel needs new response to Kassams

IDF admits rocket crews can easily avoid retaliation


By Ryan Jones
March 01, 2006

Israel's current policy of shelling empty fields in northern Gaza in response to "Palestinian" rocket attacks is in effect worthless, allowing the terrorist artillery crews to easily avoid retaliation, admitted a senior IDF officer in an interview with The Jerusalem Post.

"Before we fire shells, we take great care to ensure that there are no innocent civilians or farmers in the targeted site.  If someone plans a rocket attack ahead of time, they can reach the site and fire the rocket and flee within two minutes."

That revelation will come as little surprise to most observers, who also warn of the concomitant severe deterioration of Israel's ability to deter Islamic aggression.

Prior to Israel's abandoning of Gaza last summer, the government of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon - now headed by his former deputy, Ehud Olmert - vowed repeatedly to loose unprecedented force against the Strip's Arabs if even one rocket was fired following the Jews' departure.

However, Kassam and mortar attacks have increased exponentially since the "disengagement" - just shy of 500 Kassams have been launched from Gaza since the start of 2006 - while Israel's response has seemingly waned as the rocket fire, like all other "Palestinian" violence, becomes accepted by most as a regular component of life in Israel.

But while their brothers in Tel Aviv and elsewhere grow increasingly indifferent, the Negev Jews whose lives have become all but unbearable continue to decry the fact they are denied the defense any other nation would provide citizens under constant artillary bombardment.

They charge the Kadima-led administration with seeking to maintain the illusion that the Gaza pullout was a success by avoiding measures that would point to a worsening security situation.

Those accusations are based on a comment by Defense Minister Sha'ul Mofaz to senior IDF staff in June 2004:

"[Avoid] actions or words that might create the feeling that the security situation will worsen following the disengagement."

Meanwhile, Mahmoud Abbas' Palestinian Authority appears to be sticking to its policy of doing nothing to prevent the rocket fire, while lambasting Israel in the international press for taking any military action whatsoever to defend its people.

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