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Terrorism

Israel promises big response to Ashkelon rocket strike

After Hamas manages to hit coastal city with Kassam


By Ryan Jones
July 05, 2006

A "Palestinian" rocket crew managed to hit the heart of the southern coastal city of Ashkelon for the first time Tuesday evening with an improved Kassam rocket, prompting Israel to again vow a harsh level of military retaliation that it has often threatened but rarely employed.

The rocket, just one of thousands launched from the Gaza Strip over the past few years, slammed into Ashkelon's Ronson High School at around 7 PM, miraculously failing to harm any of the parents and students gathered there for an evening event.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert responded with the following remarks:

"This evening a serious incident like no other took place, when a Kassam landed in a school in our southern town.

"This is a serious step up in the terror war which the Hamas-led government is responsible for ... this serious act and this criminal attempt to hurt Israel's citizens will have far-reaching consequences. The Hamas organization will of course be the first to get hurt."

Ashkelon Mayor Roni Mehatzri followed up by saying his town was facing "a new and unfamiliar situation, one we do not wish to get to know better." In comments carried by Israel's Yediot Ahronot, Mehatzri added:

"A city with 120,000 people is not supposed to live under a threat of rockets."

Despite Olmert's promise to act decisively, Sderot Mayor Eli Moyal told Ynet that the residents of his town's northern neighbor had best hunker down and prepare for more.

"The residents of Ashkelon should know that the rocket that was fired today is not the last one the Palestinians will fire at the city. The firing of Kassam rockets from northern Gaza at Israel will only increase."

A senior unnamed IDF official quoted by Ynet seemed to back up Moyal's assessment, admitting that the army's ability to act in a way that would end the Kassam threat was severely limited by political considerations.

"There is quite a difficult battle here with many considerations, some not in the military field, and therefore our maneuvering is not so big and requires a lot of caution."

Israel's political-security cabinet was expected to meet first thing Wednesday morning to discuss the scope of Israel's response.

Meanwhile, senior Likud Knesset Member Gideon Sa'ar pointed out that the Ashkelon strike again demonstrated the absolute failure of the Gaza withdrawal to provide Israelis with increased security.

"Unlike promises that the disengagement would bring a better reality, the forecast made by opponents to the disengagement is coming true."

The implementation of Olmert's Judea-Samaria withdrawal is certain to produce similar results, Sa'ar said.

"...the convergence plan will be the abandonment of the residents of central Israel to artillery attacks by terror organizations in Judea and Samaria."

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