ON ROCKETS

Palestinian Rocket Fire Continues - Shmulik Hadad
Palestinians in Gaza fired three Kassam rockets Friday morning at Israel, causing no injuries or damage. On Thursday afternoon, a rocket damaged some greenhouses. (Ynet News)

Justice Minister: "Firing Rockets on Israel and Trying to Intentionally Kill Civilians Is a War Crime" - Ronny Sofer
Israeli Justice Minister Haim Ramon said in an interview with Ynet Thursday, "Firing 40 Kassam rockets a day on Sderot and trying to intentionally kill civilians is a war crime." "Regretfully, in the war on terror there are some innocent people killed unintentionally," he added. These incidents "can be easily avoided if Israel ceases to be a target of daily terror emanating from the Gaza Strip; and this is taking place after Israel withdrew from the entire Strip and evacuated 8,000 Israelis from the area." (Ynet News)

Residents Living within Rocket Range Are Facing an Existential Dilemma - Daniel Ben Simon
Dan Ulman, a veteran of Kibbutz Gevim adjacent to Sderot, is a former disciple of restraint who recently has gone over to the other camp. The change occurred last month, a few moments after a Kassam rocket landed on the veranda of his home. (Ha'aretz)

Formulating Realignment While Sderot Reels - Herb Keinon
Tory leader David Cameron asked Prime Minister Olmert in London last week a question that - in light of everything happening in Sderot and Gaza - is heavy on the minds of many Israelis: How will Israel be able to prevent similar Kassam attacks from the West Bank after realignment? The realignment plan is still very much a work in progress - intensive staff work on the plan hasn't even begun - and the plan's final form could very well be impacted by how things go now in the southern city of Sderot. The ceaseless pounding of Sderot, and the difficulty Israel is having dealing with it exclusively through the air, may very well have a real impact on the ultimate decision about where the army should redeploy.

Olmert's advisers argue that security is not the only measure of success. They say that the future realignment needs to be judged by different parameters: whether it will improve Israel's demographic situation; whether it furthers the vision of a two-state solution; whether it improve Israel's international standing; whether it improve Israel's strategic relationship with the U.S.; whether it reduces friction and helps Israel separate from the Palestinians. (Jerusalem Post)

An Eye for an Eye - Yoel Marcus (Ha'aretz)

• Why should Sderot have to play the role of a second Massada? Is it a military post or something? Is it an illegal settlement outpost? Is it in occupied territory?
• The moment the Israel Defense Forces evacuated Gaza and its Jewish settlements, in which a third generation of settlers lived, and handed the territory over to the Palestinians, the firing of Kassams should have stopped immediately.
• The expectations that the Palestinians would rapidly construct multi-story buildings in the evacuated territories to house refugees and create an atmosphere of progress were disappointed. Instead, the liberated territories turned into a firing base. The increased bombardment of Israeli territory is the last thing that Israeli peace-seekers expected.
• There is no political logic to the Kassam fire; it has one sole aim: to kill Israeli civilians because they are Israelis. Only a miracle from heaven and technical flaws in the rockets have prevented mass slaughter in Sderot.
• The very fact that a town in sovereign Israeli territory lives in fear every day is intolerable. It is the government's obligation to protect its citizens.