Arutz Sheva April 10, 2005

Over 100 mortar shells have landed in Gush Katif, a 24 hour record for
those embattled communities. For most countries, that would constitute war.
Sharon says he’ll raise the issue with Pres. Bush.

With over 100 mortar shells slamming down on Gush Katif, a record for a 24
hour period since the beginning of the Oslo War in September 2000, Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon en route to a meeting with President Bush, condemned the
attack.

The Prime Minister told reporters on his plane before landing in Washington,
D.C. that the bombardment was a flagrant violation of the understandings
reaching with PA leader Mahmoud Abbas in Sharm e-Sheik on February 8.

According to those understandings, Israel agreed to hand over Arab populated
cities in Judea and Samaria to PA control in return for the PA fighting
terror.

The PA reached a partial cease-fire with the various Arab terror factions
fighting Israel, but that fragile truce came to an abrupt halt as mortar shells
rained down on Gush Katif, resulting, miraculously, in relatively light
damage to those communities.

The shelling from PA controlled areas in Gaza came in response to an
incident in which the IDF shot and killed two Arab youths suspected of smuggling
weapons into Gaza near Rafiah. The security situation, however, began to
deteriorate before the Rafiah incident. PA terrorists wounded a resident of the
village of Morag last Tuesday and fired a Kassam missile on the town of Sderot
in the Negev.

Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz has warned the PA that the mortar attacks are
undermining the uneasy ‘truce’ with the terrorists, while a senior IDF
official has told INN reporter Kobi Finkler that further withdrawals from Arab
populated cities in Judea and Samaria will not proceed so long as the PA
refrains from seizing terrorist weapons and apprehending terrorist fugitives.

Yet despite the firing of over 100 mortar shells on Gush Katif communities,
a situation that for most countries would qualify as a war, the IDF has so
far failed to initiate any response to the attack.

Sharon said on his plane that he would take up the issue with President Bush.

Sharon’s response and the IDF’s inaction has Gush Katif residents worried
and outraged.

At around 2:00 this morning, when the number of rockets was only around 35,
a N’vei Dekalim man named Yigal phoned IDF Southern Commander Gen. Dan
Har’el, and asked him, “What are you waiting for? Why is the IDF not taking action?
Are you waiting for someone to be killed, Heaven forbid, before doing
something?”

Gen. Har’el responded, “We are acting with restraint in order to stop the
mortar shells.” Yigal said he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but when he
pressed Gen. Har’el for further explanations, the latter said, “We are
waiting for the morning; if it’s not quiet, we’ll respond.”

Yigal said he told him, “My 7-year-old son has already experienced mortar
shell shrapnel in his chest; you’re playing here with human lives!… It’s too
bad I called you. I thought you would reassure me that there was a drone or
combat helicopters in the air, or some kind of secret activities…”

Contacted this afternoon by Arutz-7, an IDF spokesperson said only, “At the
moment we are not aware of any orders to respond. It is on a state level. I
would suggest that you direct your questions to the Ministry of Defense or
the Prime Minister’s office.”

Residents are frustrated at the army’s lack of response. “Regardless of
whether they will evacuate us or not, we have the basic right to live,” one
woman, Datia Yitzchaki, told _IsraelNationalRadio’s Tamar Yonah and Malkah
Fleisher _ (http://www.israelnn.com/data/radio/asx2005/04/10/rl_116.asx) today.

But, she said, the soldiers have orders not to return fire, even though “we
know from [monitoring IDF radio communications] that the terrorists were
identified. The soldiers saw them preparing to shoot the rockets, and asked
permission to shoot at them, and their officers said ‘No, because we are abiding
by the tahadiya [ceasefire].’ It’s a one-sided ceasefire only. It’s
dangerous. There’s a large population of civilians – hundreds of families – and all
of them are again exposed to the danger of rockets…”

Yitzchaki said that “everyone with common sense” realizes that there must be
a response to terrorism, and that the alternative is “completely insane.”

Local Jewish residents of N’vei Dekalim set out for the town’s industrial
zone – the area closest to the terrorists – shortly after 2 AM to try to
respond to the attacks. IDF forces that arrived at the scene prevented them from
entering the industrial zone, however.

“Last night was very hard,” Yitzchaki said. “For the people who live close
to the area where the shells fall, it’s terrifying. You don’t get used to it
even after four years. This morning it took time before school buses were
allowed to bring kids to school. The elementary school itself is very close to
Khan Yunis [from where the shells are fired]. This situation has to stop as
soon as possible.”

She also discussed that which “everyone knows,” that “after we evacuate the
Gaza region, [the security situation] will just become much worse. Everyone
says this, and everyone knows this.” Mrs. Yitzchaki also described
preparations being made to protest the Gaza withdrawal. The entire interview can be
heard _by clicking here._
(http://www.israelnn.com/data/radio/asx2005/04/10/rl_116.asx)

This entry was posted on Monday, April 11th, 2005 and is filed under hotnews.