What has changed? - Jan 8, 2009

Ann wrote:


A couple of days ago the BBC channel rebroadcast a documentary about the 1967 6-Day War. This was a British production, not an Israeli one. It detailed the lead-up into the war, the political considerations, the cost to civilians on both sides, world reaction and public opinion, and the aftermath. It is eerie how little has changed in 40 years.

By chance, I ran across this article which was written over a year ago. Here is an excerpt:

On Sunday morning (7 Oct 2007), Palestinian terrorists in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip fired a Grad missile, which landed near the southern Israel town of Netivot - about 15 km inside Israel territory.The 122 mm Grad heavy artillery rocket, apparently produced in the former Soviet Union and smuggled into Gaza from Egypt, is an improved version of the infamous Katyusha rocket recently used by the Hizbullah to bombard northern Israel from Lebanese territory.
The use of this weapon marks a significant escalation in the Palestinian campaign of terror against Israeli civilians. The Grad attack is an escalation both in the range of the missile as well as the destructive force of the missile's warhead.
In addition to the attack on Netivot, Israel eight mortar shells fell in Kibbutz Keren Shalom from Gaza, one landing a direct hit on a civilian house, causing extensive damage. Three locally produced Kassam rockets were also fired from the northern Gaza Strip, landing in the area of the Sdot Negev Regional Council.

The situation in Israel communities bordering Gaza has become intolerable. Almost-daily terror rocket attacks have disrupted the lives of the residents - innocent civilians with destroyed homes and businesses, damaged schools, kindergartens and other public buildings and led to an entire generation of Jewish children being severely traumatized by the constant threat of deadly terror attack.

Israel's peaceful disengagement from Gaza two years ago has only led to more attacks and to more terrorism. Since the disengagement from Gaza, over 2000 artillery rockets and hundreds of mortar bombs have struck Israel territory, leading to the murders of 14 Israelis and the injury of hundreds more. Much of this violence has occurred since the Hamas terror group seized control of the Gaza Strip in June of this year.


The full article can be read here:

http://www.israelnewsagency.com/gradmissilehamasterrorismgazaisraelidfpalestinemazenriceolmert48100807.html

A