Tuesday, February 12, 2008

LIVING UNDER ROCKET FIRE

Where Israelis Live Under the Shadow of Death - Orly Halpern (Globe and Mail-Canada)
Palestinian rockets began flying from Gaza onto the nearby Israeli town of Sderot seven years ago, shortly before Bar Adam was born. Now, running for cover is a natural part of life for the little girl with curly brown hair. So when the city's rocket warning siren went off last week while Bar was playing outside, her mother, Galit, did not panic. "I knew my daughter would know what to do," Galit said as she cleaned up debris in her home. Their house was hit, but no one was injured.

Sderot as Stalingrad - Bradley Burston
The longer the siege against the civilian population of Sderot continues, the more the Palestinians are seen more as aggressors and less as victims. Palestinian rocket fire has turned Sderot into a version of Stalingrad, whose stand against the Germans in World War II came to be viewed by many as the turning point in the war. The world is beginning to view the people of Sderot as true victims of brutality against civilians. The Kassam rockets have acted to delegitimize the Palestinians as a people capable of governing an independent state.

The perceived message of the Kassam is: "We will drive you out of Sderot, and from Ashkelon after that, and out of all the kibbutzim that line the Israeli-Gaza border that were one of the strongest voices in favor of the establishment of a Palestinian state. Land for peace is dead. Israel is dead. It's only a matter of time." (Ha'aretz)

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