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1. IDF in Firm Control in Gaza
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Israeli ground soldiers fought Hamas in Gaza Saturday night and early Sunday morning and killed more than 30 terrorists.
A Hamas mortar shell was the cause of most IDF injuries. Two soldiers were evacuated to the Soroka Medical Center in Be'er Sheva and are in serious condition. Two others were moderately wounded, and 24 more soldiers suffered light injuries, including from the extreme cold; eight of them treated in the field.
In the video above released by the IDF, Israeli soldiers give messages to loved ones and to the residents of the south before entering Gaza, explaining in Hebrew that they are going in, knowing it is dangerous, in order to protect them and to put an end to the rocket fire that has endangered their lives for so long.
Most of the ground soldiers are in northern Gaza, but fighting also was reported in central Gaza. Morale was reported high among the soldiers as well as among thousands of reservists who have been called to duty.
The IDF thoroughly prepared Givati Brigade, Golani Brigade, engineer and tank units for the ground incursion, with the mission to stop rocket fire on southern Israel.
One Kassam rocket hit a house in Sderot shortly after 8 a.m. Sunday, injuring one person lightly. Two rockets exploded in open areas in Netivot around 7:30 a.m. Six other rockets were fired on open areas in the Sderot and Eshkol regions since the ground troops crossed into Gaza around 7:00 Saturday evening, and an uncertain quiet permeated highly populated southern areas.
An Israeli Air Force strike bombed the broadcast center of the Hamas-run Al Aqsa television station, according to the Arabic-language Al Jazeera network. IAF planes struck over 45 targets including tunnels, weapons storage facilities, mortar shell launching squads and a number of mortar shell launching areas.
The IAF also bombed a terrorist target in Rafiah around 7:30 a.m. Monday, killing one terrorist.
IDF commander of Gaza operations Yoav Galant ordered an extension of the closed military zone in the Gaza Belt area to include Ofakim and Netivot.
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by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Israeli ground soldiers fought Hamas in Gaza Saturday night and early Sunday morning and killed more than 30 terrorists.
A Hamas mortar shell was the cause of most IDF injuries. Two soldiers were evacuated to the Soroka Medical Center in Be'er Sheva and are in serious condition. Two others were moderately wounded, and 24 more soldiers suffered light injuries, including from the extreme cold; eight of them treated in the field.
In the video above released by the IDF, Israeli soldiers give messages to loved ones and to the residents of the south before entering Gaza, explaining in Hebrew that they are going in, knowing it is dangerous, in order to protect them and to put an end to the rocket fire that has endangered their lives for so long.
Most of the ground soldiers are in northern Gaza, but fighting also was reported in central Gaza. Morale was reported high among the soldiers as well as among thousands of reservists who have been called to duty.
The IDF thoroughly prepared Givati Brigade, Golani Brigade, engineer and tank units for the ground incursion, with the mission to stop rocket fire on southern Israel.
One Kassam rocket hit a house in Sderot shortly after 8 a.m. Sunday, injuring one person lightly. Two rockets exploded in open areas in Netivot around 7:30 a.m. Six other rockets were fired on open areas in the Sderot and Eshkol regions since the ground troops crossed into Gaza around 7:00 Saturday evening, and an uncertain quiet permeated highly populated southern areas.
An Israeli Air Force strike bombed the broadcast center of the Hamas-run Al Aqsa television station, according to the Arabic-language Al Jazeera network. IAF planes struck over 45 targets including tunnels, weapons storage facilities, mortar shell launching squads and a number of mortar shell launching areas.
The IAF also bombed a terrorist target in Rafiah around 7:30 a.m. Monday, killing one terrorist.
IDF commander of Gaza operations Yoav Galant ordered an extension of the closed military zone in the Gaza Belt area to include Ofakim and Netivot.
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2. Diplomatic Clock Ticks for Truce
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
The ground invasion of Gaza is aimed at putting an end to Gaza rocket fire as worldwide pressure grows for a truce. The United States Saturday night rejected a Libyan-sponsored United Nations Security Council draft proposal for a ceasefire.
U.S. President George W. Bush stated in a radio address earlier in the day that the U.S. opposes a "one-sided" truce. The American delegation to the U.N. insisted that a resolution identify Hamas as a terrorist organization. The Libyan proposal expressed "serious concern at the escalation of the situation in Gaza, in particular, after the launching of the Israeli ground offensive."
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon telephoned outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to communicate "disappointment" at the ground invasion while pushing for a truce.
The State Department is talking with Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia to come up with an agreement, and Egypt has talked with Hamas leaders for the first time in weeks.
Israeli media and most political parties have shown unusual solidarity for the Cast Lead counterterrorist operation. A determined diplomatic offensive has made it clear that Israel will not allow a repeat of the June 19 ceasefire agreement, under which Hamas sporadically attacked southern Israel and smuggled hundreds of tons of explosives and advanced arms into Gaza while Israel remained silent.
The only retaliation was the occasional closing of Gaza crossings after rocket and mortar fire.
Pressure will grow on Israel to halt the Gaza campaign as the U.S. prepares to inaugurate President-elect Barack Obama on January 20.
"The Israelis certainly want the operation over before Barack Obama enters the White House on Jan. 20, so as not to demand of him a crisis response to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," TIME magazine reported.
One of the key issues in a new ceasefire will be the stationing of international troops on the Egyptian border with Gaza, where years of smuggling left Gaza terrorists with hundreds of tons of explosives, anti-aircraft missiles and long-range Katyusha-style rockets.
A second issue is the opening of the crossings, including the Rafiah passage between Gaza and Egypt, which has objected to its being re-opened out of fear that terrorists and civilians would overrun the country.
No mention has been made of kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, who is a major trump card for Hamas and one that the terrorist organization is not likely to give up without receiving demands that Israel is not likely to meet.
Comment on this story
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
The ground invasion of Gaza is aimed at putting an end to Gaza rocket fire as worldwide pressure grows for a truce. The United States Saturday night rejected a Libyan-sponsored United Nations Security Council draft proposal for a ceasefire.
U.S. President George W. Bush stated in a radio address earlier in the day that the U.S. opposes a "one-sided" truce. The American delegation to the U.N. insisted that a resolution identify Hamas as a terrorist organization. The Libyan proposal expressed "serious concern at the escalation of the situation in Gaza, in particular, after the launching of the Israeli ground offensive."
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon telephoned outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to communicate "disappointment" at the ground invasion while pushing for a truce.
The State Department is talking with Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia to come up with an agreement, and Egypt has talked with Hamas leaders for the first time in weeks.
Israeli media and most political parties have shown unusual solidarity for the Cast Lead counterterrorist operation. A determined diplomatic offensive has made it clear that Israel will not allow a repeat of the June 19 ceasefire agreement, under which Hamas sporadically attacked southern Israel and smuggled hundreds of tons of explosives and advanced arms into Gaza while Israel remained silent.
The only retaliation was the occasional closing of Gaza crossings after rocket and mortar fire.
Pressure will grow on Israel to halt the Gaza campaign as the U.S. prepares to inaugurate President-elect Barack Obama on January 20.
"The Israelis certainly want the operation over before Barack Obama enters the White House on Jan. 20, so as not to demand of him a crisis response to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," TIME magazine reported.
One of the key issues in a new ceasefire will be the stationing of international troops on the Egyptian border with Gaza, where years of smuggling left Gaza terrorists with hundreds of tons of explosives, anti-aircraft missiles and long-range Katyusha-style rockets.
A second issue is the opening of the crossings, including the Rafiah passage between Gaza and Egypt, which has objected to its being re-opened out of fear that terrorists and civilians would overrun the country.
No mention has been made of kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, who is a major trump card for Hamas and one that the terrorist organization is not likely to give up without receiving demands that Israel is not likely to meet.
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3. Olmert: We Did All We Could
by Hillel Fendel
“This is an unavoidable mission,” Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Sunday morning, speaking publicly for the first time since the week-old war began.
“I can look everyone in the eyes,” he said at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting,” and say that the government did all it could before this mission… In a responsible and determined country, it is inconceivable that the home front would be a target for attacks.”
Click here to view the report.
In the meeting that followed, the Cabinet voted unanimously in favor of the ground operation, which began on Saturday night. Only Raleb Majadele, an Arab minister, abstained in the vote. Majadele was widely criticized, including by Olmert, for having absented himself from last week’s meeting in protest of the IDF offensive. “We will solve the conflict only via ways of peace,” Majadele said.
Three Years to the Day
Some observers noted wryly that the day of the vote authorizing the major ground offensive into Gaza to destroy Hamas terrorist infastructures was held exactly three years to the day after Ariel Sharon, the man responsible for Israel's withdrawal from Gaza, fell into the coma in which he still lingers.
Yishai and Ramon Demand End to Hamas
On Friday, a forum of government ministers and top security officials voted by a 10-2 margin to “instruct the IDF to continue the current offensive and move to the stage of ground entry.” Ministers Eli Yishai (Shas) and Chaim Ramon (Kadima) abstained, demanding that the collapse of the Hamas regime in Gaza be listed as a war objective.
“Now, more than ever,” Olmert said on Sunday morning, “the Nation of Israel is one nation. [It cannot that a strong, daring and well-trained army like the Israel Defense Forces would not defend the home front.”
No Stone Unturned
Addressing the families of soldiers in Gaza, the outgoing Prime Minister said, “I have thought about you very much since this operation began. When we decided to give the orders for the ground operation, we thought about whether there was any other step or effort that we could do before we send our boys to a place rife with dangers, a place from which some of them might not return.”
“In the end,” Olmert said, “we reached the conclusion that in light of the recommendation of the IDF Chief of Staff [Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkena and the heads of the army, there was no alternative other than a ground operation in Gaza. It is unavoidable.”
Comment on this story
by Hillel Fendel
“This is an unavoidable mission,” Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Sunday morning, speaking publicly for the first time since the week-old war began.
“I can look everyone in the eyes,” he said at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting,” and say that the government did all it could before this mission… In a responsible and determined country, it is inconceivable that the home front would be a target for attacks.”
Click here to view the report.
In the meeting that followed, the Cabinet voted unanimously in favor of the ground operation, which began on Saturday night. Only Raleb Majadele, an Arab minister, abstained in the vote. Majadele was widely criticized, including by Olmert, for having absented himself from last week’s meeting in protest of the IDF offensive. “We will solve the conflict only via ways of peace,” Majadele said.
Three Years to the Day
Some observers noted wryly that the day of the vote authorizing the major ground offensive into Gaza to destroy Hamas terrorist infastructures was held exactly three years to the day after Ariel Sharon, the man responsible for Israel's withdrawal from Gaza, fell into the coma in which he still lingers.
Yishai and Ramon Demand End to Hamas
On Friday, a forum of government ministers and top security officials voted by a 10-2 margin to “instruct the IDF to continue the current offensive and move to the stage of ground entry.” Ministers Eli Yishai (Shas) and Chaim Ramon (Kadima) abstained, demanding that the collapse of the Hamas regime in Gaza be listed as a war objective.
“Now, more than ever,” Olmert said on Sunday morning, “the Nation of Israel is one nation. [It cannot that a strong, daring and well-trained army like the Israel Defense Forces would not defend the home front.”
No Stone Unturned
Addressing the families of soldiers in Gaza, the outgoing Prime Minister said, “I have thought about you very much since this operation began. When we decided to give the orders for the ground operation, we thought about whether there was any other step or effort that we could do before we send our boys to a place rife with dangers, a place from which some of them might not return.”
“In the end,” Olmert said, “we reached the conclusion that in light of the recommendation of the IDF Chief of Staff [Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkena and the heads of the army, there was no alternative other than a ground operation in Gaza. It is unavoidable.”
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4. Arrow Missile Radar Deployed
by Yehudah Lev Kay
The IDF's advanced Arrow missile defense system has been deployed near Ashkelon to help the Home Front Command detect missile launches. Meanwhile, former army officers are calling on the defense establishment to purchase an American missile defense system capable of shooting down Kassam and Katushya rockets.
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has developed an updated radar system named MC4 based on the Arrow missile defense system, which was developed jointly by the U.S. and Israel to counter ballistic missile launches. The new radar can track the launch of smaller missiles, such as the Kassam or Grad rockets, as they are being launched from Gaza. Using GPS and camera sensors, the MC4 system tracks the flight path, and within a minute of launch, it can determine both the launch site and projected landing site of the missile.
An officer in the unit explained, “This is the most advanced radar that the air force has, and it helps sound the alarm systems in target cities. It can also detect rocket launches in poor weather conditions. Launches over the last few days during the rain were detected by the system.”
The MC4 radar is also used by rescue staff to help know precisely where the rockets fall. The system tracks the missile path in real time and displays the location of its fall on a map, which includes data such as the location of schools and shopping centers. It also enables rescue staff to immediately dispatch emergency crews to the site of the hit.
In addition, the MC4 radar quickly determines the precise location from which a rocket was launched. The IDF can use the data to immediately dispatch an air strike or artillery fire to the location of the rocket launch. Since small rockets such as Grads can be launched by mobile crews, knowing the location of the rocket launch as quickly as possible is crucial.
Development of the new radar system began after the Second Lebanon War, when Hizbullah terrorists were able to successfully launch thousands of missiles at Israeli targets. Contemporary radars were found to be inadequate in detecting the launch of small rockets with sufficient speed and precision. The new radar was developed by the IAI's Malam Missile and Space Factory and is the most advanced system of its kind in the world. It is exclusive to Israel.
The Arrow missile defense system, which was co-developed by the U.S. and Israel beginning in 1986, is estimated to have cost $2 billion. The system was successfully tested against Scud missile launches in 2004, 2005, and 2007. The Arrow system is also Israel’s primary defense against Iran’s ballistic missile threat. Israeli officials claim that the system can successfully intercept any missile currently in operational use by Iran.
Ex-Officers Call for New System
Meanwhile, a group of reserve army officers and scientists has arranged a seminar for Sunday, January 4, named “Protecting the Home Front." The goal of the seminar is to call on the government to purchase the American-developed Skyguard missile system to protect against rocket launches from Gaza. The Skyguard system, formerly known by the name Nautilus, is produced by American defense contractor Northrop Grumman and uses high powered lasers to shoot down incoming missiles, artillery shells, and mortar shells.
The technology behind the system was jointly developed by the U.S. and Israel starting in 1996 at a cost of $400 million. In tests held between 2000 and 2004, the system successfully shot down Katushya rockets, artillery shells and mortar shells. Israel discontinued its participation in the project shortly afterwards, claiming the system was too costly and not sufficiently effective.
Israel then turned to Israeli defense contractor Rafael to develop the “Iron Dome” missile defense system which uses short range rockets to shoot down incoming threats. The system is not yet operational. In the meantime, Northrop Grumman continued to improve the Skyguard system, and says it is currently capable of meeting Israel’s needs.
Supporters claim that the Skyguard laser based system is more suited to Israel’s needs than the rocket-based Rafael solution. Firstly, the laser can intercept short range missiles such as the Kassam rocket which hit their targets in less than 10 seconds. The rocket-based Rafael system can only hit medium-range rockets which reach their targets in more than 20 seconds. In addition, each laser round fired costs approximately $3,000. In contrast, defensive rockets for the Iron Dome system are estimated to cost over $100,000. Supporters also claim that the Skyguard system could be deployed in a short amount of time, whereas the completion of the Iron Dome rocket system is not foreseen in the near future.
In March 2007, residents of Sderot sued the government, claiming that the Skyguard system could protect them from terrorist rocket fire. Supporters of the Skyguard system claim the Israeli security establishment is either not willing to spend the money for the system, or prefers to give the missile defense contract to Israeli defense contractor Rafael. In the meantime, Israeli communities around Gaza remain largely unprotected.
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by Yehudah Lev Kay
The IDF's advanced Arrow missile defense system has been deployed near Ashkelon to help the Home Front Command detect missile launches. Meanwhile, former army officers are calling on the defense establishment to purchase an American missile defense system capable of shooting down Kassam and Katushya rockets.
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has developed an updated radar system named MC4 based on the Arrow missile defense system, which was developed jointly by the U.S. and Israel to counter ballistic missile launches. The new radar can track the launch of smaller missiles, such as the Kassam or Grad rockets, as they are being launched from Gaza. Using GPS and camera sensors, the MC4 system tracks the flight path, and within a minute of launch, it can determine both the launch site and projected landing site of the missile.
An officer in the unit explained, “This is the most advanced radar that the air force has, and it helps sound the alarm systems in target cities. It can also detect rocket launches in poor weather conditions. Launches over the last few days during the rain were detected by the system.”
The MC4 radar is also used by rescue staff to help know precisely where the rockets fall. The system tracks the missile path in real time and displays the location of its fall on a map, which includes data such as the location of schools and shopping centers. It also enables rescue staff to immediately dispatch emergency crews to the site of the hit.
In addition, the MC4 radar quickly determines the precise location from which a rocket was launched. The IDF can use the data to immediately dispatch an air strike or artillery fire to the location of the rocket launch. Since small rockets such as Grads can be launched by mobile crews, knowing the location of the rocket launch as quickly as possible is crucial.
Development of the new radar system began after the Second Lebanon War, when Hizbullah terrorists were able to successfully launch thousands of missiles at Israeli targets. Contemporary radars were found to be inadequate in detecting the launch of small rockets with sufficient speed and precision. The new radar was developed by the IAI's Malam Missile and Space Factory and is the most advanced system of its kind in the world. It is exclusive to Israel.
The Arrow missile defense system, which was co-developed by the U.S. and Israel beginning in 1986, is estimated to have cost $2 billion. The system was successfully tested against Scud missile launches in 2004, 2005, and 2007. The Arrow system is also Israel’s primary defense against Iran’s ballistic missile threat. Israeli officials claim that the system can successfully intercept any missile currently in operational use by Iran.
Ex-Officers Call for New System
Meanwhile, a group of reserve army officers and scientists has arranged a seminar for Sunday, January 4, named “Protecting the Home Front." The goal of the seminar is to call on the government to purchase the American-developed Skyguard missile system to protect against rocket launches from Gaza. The Skyguard system, formerly known by the name Nautilus, is produced by American defense contractor Northrop Grumman and uses high powered lasers to shoot down incoming missiles, artillery shells, and mortar shells.
The technology behind the system was jointly developed by the U.S. and Israel starting in 1996 at a cost of $400 million. In tests held between 2000 and 2004, the system successfully shot down Katushya rockets, artillery shells and mortar shells. Israel discontinued its participation in the project shortly afterwards, claiming the system was too costly and not sufficiently effective.
Israel then turned to Israeli defense contractor Rafael to develop the “Iron Dome” missile defense system which uses short range rockets to shoot down incoming threats. The system is not yet operational. In the meantime, Northrop Grumman continued to improve the Skyguard system, and says it is currently capable of meeting Israel’s needs.
Supporters claim that the Skyguard laser based system is more suited to Israel’s needs than the rocket-based Rafael solution. Firstly, the laser can intercept short range missiles such as the Kassam rocket which hit their targets in less than 10 seconds. The rocket-based Rafael system can only hit medium-range rockets which reach their targets in more than 20 seconds. In addition, each laser round fired costs approximately $3,000. In contrast, defensive rockets for the Iron Dome system are estimated to cost over $100,000. Supporters also claim that the Skyguard system could be deployed in a short amount of time, whereas the completion of the Iron Dome rocket system is not foreseen in the near future.
In March 2007, residents of Sderot sued the government, claiming that the Skyguard system could protect them from terrorist rocket fire. Supporters of the Skyguard system claim the Israeli security establishment is either not willing to spend the money for the system, or prefers to give the missile defense contract to Israeli defense contractor Rafael. In the meantime, Israeli communities around Gaza remain largely unprotected.
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5. Hamas Lies: 'Abducted Soldiers'
by Hana Levi Julian
The Hamas terrorist organization announced Sunday that it had kidnapped two Israeli soldiers in the first stage of the ground invasion of IDF troops into Gaza.
The statement, made to foreign television stations, is totally untrue, according to the IDF Spokesperson's Unit, as was the statement Saturday night that 10 IDF soldiers had been killed in the first assault.
Propanganda and disinformation is an inherent part of the psychological warfare used by Hamas to weaken the Israeli resolve, said Israeli officials. It is gamble used in the hope that news services will pick up the report and disseminate it before the truth becomes known. The goal is to confuse and frighten the Israeli readers and break their determination to continue the operation.
The Reuters news agency apparently did not bother to check the facts before its initial publication of the Hamas statement, nor did it include a counter-statement from the IDF confirming or denying the veracity of the claim.
During the 2006 Second Lebanon War, a Reuters staffer was caught faking a photograph of damage from IDF bombing in a Beirut suburb to make it appear as though Israel has massacred the neighborhood instead of using pinpoint surgical strikes as it had. The staff member was reportedly dismissed.
Kidnapping Threats from Hamas
Damascus-based Hamas politburo chief Khaled Mashaal said a statement broadcast Friday on the Arabic-language Al Jazeera satellite TV network that Israel would face a "black fate" if it proceeded to enter Gaza with ground forces.
Mashaal threatened to turn Gaza into "an IDF cemetery" if IDF forces entered the region, and said terrorists would kidnap "a second, third, and fourth Gilad Shalit."
Operatives from three related Gaza terror groups kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit in a cross-border raid near the Kerem Shalom Crossing on June 25, 2006. Two other soldiers were killed and a fourth was severely wounded in the attack. Shalit has remained in Gaza in enemy hands.
Comment on this story
by Hana Levi Julian
The Hamas terrorist organization announced Sunday that it had kidnapped two Israeli soldiers in the first stage of the ground invasion of IDF troops into Gaza.
The statement, made to foreign television stations, is totally untrue, according to the IDF Spokesperson's Unit, as was the statement Saturday night that 10 IDF soldiers had been killed in the first assault.
Propanganda and disinformation is an inherent part of the psychological warfare used by Hamas to weaken the Israeli resolve, said Israeli officials. It is gamble used in the hope that news services will pick up the report and disseminate it before the truth becomes known. The goal is to confuse and frighten the Israeli readers and break their determination to continue the operation.
The Reuters news agency apparently did not bother to check the facts before its initial publication of the Hamas statement, nor did it include a counter-statement from the IDF confirming or denying the veracity of the claim.
During the 2006 Second Lebanon War, a Reuters staffer was caught faking a photograph of damage from IDF bombing in a Beirut suburb to make it appear as though Israel has massacred the neighborhood instead of using pinpoint surgical strikes as it had. The staff member was reportedly dismissed.
Kidnapping Threats from Hamas
Damascus-based Hamas politburo chief Khaled Mashaal said a statement broadcast Friday on the Arabic-language Al Jazeera satellite TV network that Israel would face a "black fate" if it proceeded to enter Gaza with ground forces.
Mashaal threatened to turn Gaza into "an IDF cemetery" if IDF forces entered the region, and said terrorists would kidnap "a second, third, and fourth Gilad Shalit."
Operatives from three related Gaza terror groups kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit in a cross-border raid near the Kerem Shalom Crossing on June 25, 2006. Two other soldiers were killed and a fourth was severely wounded in the attack. Shalit has remained in Gaza in enemy hands.
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6. 'Heed King David on Gaza Op'
by Gil Ronen
Rabbi Dr. Michael Ben-Ari, the number four man on the National Union's Knesset list, thinks the leaders of Israel should follow King David's advice from the Eighteenth Psalm regarding Gaza: "I will chase my enemies and catch up to them and I shall not return until I annihilate them."
"This should be the slogan of every leader and IDF commander," he said. "The enemy must know that whoever raises his hand against Israel, we will teach him a lesson and annihilate him as well as all his helpers and supporters, and only thus will we take out their will to fire missiles at us."
However, he is under no illusions that the present government will do so.
Ben-Ari supports the troops fighting in Gaza but says the operation is "like giving aspirin to a patient who is in serious condition."
"It is a sedative but it does not address the root of the problem," he said Friday. "Everyone knows this and that is why they were so hesitant to begin this operation. That is why I believe that sooner or later we will return to Gaza and Gush Katif," he added.
'It will end with a ceasefire'
"The conflict will be decided on the political level," Ben-Ari predicted. "In the end, the Arabs' pleas for a ceasefire will be heeded before we break the enemy's will to fight, just like our humiliating defeat in the Second Lebanon War and Resolution 1701."
"There will probably be an agreement on some kind of ceasefire but the enemy will never agree to lose their ability to rearm. Their entire existence depends on their ability to keep on hurting us," he said. "Their motivation is to one day be able to chase us out and return to Ramle and Lod."
"The operation is beginning to teach the public that the statement 'it's either us or them' [which was used by former Knesset Member, the late Rabbi Meir Kahane– ed is not an election slogan but is a very existential one."
International solution?
The solution to the Gaza problem, said Ben-Ari, should be an international one. "The international community needs to find the Arab population in Gaza a spacious area somewhere in which they can live and where they will have something to lose," he explained. As things are, the enemy in Gaza "is dreaming of the nice houses in Ashkelon and Ashdod as it lives in the impossibly crowded and run-down streets of Gaza."
We need to understand that "a few bombs or diplomatic talks or 'lulls' will only make the problem worse, not solve it," he explained.
The enemy within
Ben-Ari is also gravely worried about "the internal enemy" – the Arabs with Israeli citizenship. "The enemy is waking up and getting stronger, and the danger will only become greater unless we have leadership that is not afraid of the Supreme Court, of the United Nations and of the deranged people in the Left, but is only committed to the survival of the Jewish people."
"When the enemy raises signs saying 'death to the Jews' in Sakhnin, it brings the catastrophe nearer," he warned. "It reminds me of the Jews' disregard of all the signs that preceded the Holocaust."
Ben Ari also blasted "those who deride the 'hilltop youth' and the outposts'" – in an apparent reference to recent comments by the Jewish Home party leadership. "The people who say this will unintentionally cause the enemy to sit in those hilltops, and Hadera, Kfar Saba and the Azrieli Towers will be the next targets for Grad missiles," he warned.
Comment on this story
by Gil Ronen
Rabbi Dr. Michael Ben-Ari, the number four man on the National Union's Knesset list, thinks the leaders of Israel should follow King David's advice from the Eighteenth Psalm regarding Gaza: "I will chase my enemies and catch up to them and I shall not return until I annihilate them."
"This should be the slogan of every leader and IDF commander," he said. "The enemy must know that whoever raises his hand against Israel, we will teach him a lesson and annihilate him as well as all his helpers and supporters, and only thus will we take out their will to fire missiles at us."
However, he is under no illusions that the present government will do so.
Ben-Ari supports the troops fighting in Gaza but says the operation is "like giving aspirin to a patient who is in serious condition."
"It is a sedative but it does not address the root of the problem," he said Friday. "Everyone knows this and that is why they were so hesitant to begin this operation. That is why I believe that sooner or later we will return to Gaza and Gush Katif," he added.
'It will end with a ceasefire'
"The conflict will be decided on the political level," Ben-Ari predicted. "In the end, the Arabs' pleas for a ceasefire will be heeded before we break the enemy's will to fight, just like our humiliating defeat in the Second Lebanon War and Resolution 1701."
"There will probably be an agreement on some kind of ceasefire but the enemy will never agree to lose their ability to rearm. Their entire existence depends on their ability to keep on hurting us," he said. "Their motivation is to one day be able to chase us out and return to Ramle and Lod."
"The operation is beginning to teach the public that the statement 'it's either us or them' [which was used by former Knesset Member, the late Rabbi Meir Kahane– ed is not an election slogan but is a very existential one."
International solution?
The solution to the Gaza problem, said Ben-Ari, should be an international one. "The international community needs to find the Arab population in Gaza a spacious area somewhere in which they can live and where they will have something to lose," he explained. As things are, the enemy in Gaza "is dreaming of the nice houses in Ashkelon and Ashdod as it lives in the impossibly crowded and run-down streets of Gaza."
We need to understand that "a few bombs or diplomatic talks or 'lulls' will only make the problem worse, not solve it," he explained.
The enemy within
Ben-Ari is also gravely worried about "the internal enemy" – the Arabs with Israeli citizenship. "The enemy is waking up and getting stronger, and the danger will only become greater unless we have leadership that is not afraid of the Supreme Court, of the United Nations and of the deranged people in the Left, but is only committed to the survival of the Jewish people."
"When the enemy raises signs saying 'death to the Jews' in Sakhnin, it brings the catastrophe nearer," he warned. "It reminds me of the Jews' disregard of all the signs that preceded the Holocaust."
Ben Ari also blasted "those who deride the 'hilltop youth' and the outposts'" – in an apparent reference to recent comments by the Jewish Home party leadership. "The people who say this will unintentionally cause the enemy to sit in those hilltops, and Hadera, Kfar Saba and the Azrieli Towers will be the next targets for Grad missiles," he warned.
Comment on this story
7. Rocket Barrage Strikes the South
by Hana Levi Julian
Gaza terrorists launched a barrage of Grad long-range missiles at the coastal cities of Ashdod and Ashkelon early Sunday afternoon as ground operations continued in Day 9 of Operation Cast Lead.
Several shorter-range rockets also slammed into areas around and within the western Negev city of Sderot, less than a mile away from Gaza.
One rocket exploded in a populated area of the port city of Ashdod, causing a fire to erupt. One woman was injured from smoke inhalation and shock. Firefighters raced to the scene and worked to extinguish the fire.
A listener in Ashdod called in to Radio Darom (Radio of the South) shortly after the attack to say that he had watched as a missile had come hurtling towards a group of four houses in his neighborhood. When he emerged from his shelter, he realized that the houses were still standing intact and there was no damage, and wondered why. Walking over to inspect the site, the listener said he saw that the missile had miraculously gone straight into the sewage manhole located between the four buildings, and exploded underground -- wrecking the plumbing, but leaving the buildings and their occupants safe from harm.
Two Kassam rockets exploded in unpopulated areas of the Sha’ar HaNegev region; one exploded near an educational institution and the other exploded near a kibbutz (agricultural cooperative). Two rockets exploded in an unpopulated area in the Eshkol region within an hour of each other.
There were no reports of injuries or damage from the Sderot, Eshkol, or Sha’ar HaNegev explosions.
A Kassam rocket exploded in an agricultural area near Netivot at about 10:20 a.m. Sunday morning. No one was injured, but property damage was reported in the attack.
During the morning, three short-range rockets also exploded in the Eshkol region, all landing in open areas. No one was injured and no damage was reported.
Shortly after 8:00 a.m. Sunday morning a Kassam rocket scored a direct hit on a home in nearby Sderot, completely demolishing the structure. A woman who was inside at the time of the attack miraculously escaped with only minor shrapnel wounds. Four other people suffered severe emotional trauma and were also treated by Magen David Adom medics who raced to the scene, before being evacuated to hospital.
A total of three rockets were fired at Sderot during the attack, with two of the rockets landing in unpopulated areas. Neither caused injuries or damage.
Two Grad-type Katyusha missiles were also fired at Netivot at around the same time, according to Voice of Israel government radio. Both missiles landed in open areas. No one was injured and there were no reports of damage.
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by Hana Levi Julian
Gaza terrorists launched a barrage of Grad long-range missiles at the coastal cities of Ashdod and Ashkelon early Sunday afternoon as ground operations continued in Day 9 of Operation Cast Lead.
Several shorter-range rockets also slammed into areas around and within the western Negev city of Sderot, less than a mile away from Gaza.
One rocket exploded in a populated area of the port city of Ashdod, causing a fire to erupt. One woman was injured from smoke inhalation and shock. Firefighters raced to the scene and worked to extinguish the fire.
A listener in Ashdod called in to Radio Darom (Radio of the South) shortly after the attack to say that he had watched as a missile had come hurtling towards a group of four houses in his neighborhood. When he emerged from his shelter, he realized that the houses were still standing intact and there was no damage, and wondered why. Walking over to inspect the site, the listener said he saw that the missile had miraculously gone straight into the sewage manhole located between the four buildings, and exploded underground -- wrecking the plumbing, but leaving the buildings and their occupants safe from harm.
Two Kassam rockets exploded in unpopulated areas of the Sha’ar HaNegev region; one exploded near an educational institution and the other exploded near a kibbutz (agricultural cooperative). Two rockets exploded in an unpopulated area in the Eshkol region within an hour of each other.
There were no reports of injuries or damage from the Sderot, Eshkol, or Sha’ar HaNegev explosions.
A Kassam rocket exploded in an agricultural area near Netivot at about 10:20 a.m. Sunday morning. No one was injured, but property damage was reported in the attack.
During the morning, three short-range rockets also exploded in the Eshkol region, all landing in open areas. No one was injured and no damage was reported.
Shortly after 8:00 a.m. Sunday morning a Kassam rocket scored a direct hit on a home in nearby Sderot, completely demolishing the structure. A woman who was inside at the time of the attack miraculously escaped with only minor shrapnel wounds. Four other people suffered severe emotional trauma and were also treated by Magen David Adom medics who raced to the scene, before being evacuated to hospital.
A total of three rockets were fired at Sderot during the attack, with two of the rockets landing in unpopulated areas. Neither caused injuries or damage.
Two Grad-type Katyusha missiles were also fired at Netivot at around the same time, according to Voice of Israel government radio. Both missiles landed in open areas. No one was injured and there were no reports of damage.
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