WarSclerotic

Minister Ariel in Sderot: The Time to Take Action is Now

Housing Minister visits the city of Sderot after rocket barrage, calls for action against Hamas immediately.

By Hezki Ezra and Elad Benari

First Publish: 7/4/2014, 12:13 AM

via Ariel in Sderot: The Time to Take Action is Now – Defense/Security – News – Arutz Sheva.

Housing Minister Uri Ariel (Jewish Home) visited the city of Sderot on Thursday, hours after a barrage of rockets from Gaza hit the city, one of which exploded near a building and caused it damage.

On Thursday morning, a Kassam rocket fired by terrorists in Gaza hit a summer day camp in the city, moments before children were set to arrive.

“At this time when [terrorists] are trying to harm civilians in Sderot, we should follow the rule known as ‘kill those who come to kill you,'” said Ariel, who called for action against Hamas immediately – not after a tragedy occurs.

“We just have to act against the enemy and against terrorism,” he stressed, adding that he will work to strengthen the city of Sderot.

“We’re going to market another 100 housing units in the coming months and continue to strengthen the city in different ways,” said Ariel.

“Unfortunately we are delayed because of a lack of a budget for further protection in Sderot and the area,” he added. “I hope the funds are released soon and we can continue to work and provide protection for the excellent citizens who live in this city and the region.”

Around 100 residents of Sderot protested at the entrance to the city earlier Thursday, in response to the rapidly deteriorating security situation.

Protesters bore signs reading “destroy the Hamas regime in Gaza,” “let the IDF win,” and “kill first the one who comes to kill you,” a precept of the Jewish sages. They called on the government to launch a wide-ranging military mission in Gaza to cease the constant rocket fire.

Ministers Demand ‘Whatever Needed to Destroy Hamas’ In Sderot Lapid says ‘no sane country would tolerate this,’

Danon leaves option of ground invasion on the table.

By Yoni Kempinski, Ari YasharFirst Publish: 7/3/2014, 6:03 PM

via Ministers: ‘Do Whatever Needed to Destroy Hamas’ – Defense/Security – News – Arutz Sheva.

Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon and Finance Minister Yair Lapid visited Sderot on Thursday, shortly after a Kassam rocket fired by terrorists in Gaza hit a summer day camp moments before children were set to arrive.

The building was the second to be directly hit in Sderot since Wednesday night, as the rocket barrage from the Hamas enclave continues to escalate.

An Arutz Sheva correspondent was on hand at Sderot to film Danon and Lapid’s calls from the heavily-hit southern town.

Lapid noted that he had just been at the home of Naftali Frenkel (16), who along with Eyal Yifrah (19) and Gilad Sha’ar (16) was abducted and murdered by Hamas terrorists on June 12.

Connecting the incidents, Lapid indicated the Sderot wreckage, saying “this is a house in which five children live in and which was bombarded by Hamas missiles during the night.”

“Any sane country will not tolerate a situation in which their kids are being killed on a daily basis,” remarked Lapid, threatening the terrorist organization Hamas with a firm response.

For his part, Danon called on the government to “do whatever is necessary to protect Israel even if it means that the children will be in shelters for the next two months, the people of Sderot are ready to do it” in order to achieve long term stability.

When asked about the possibility of an IDF ground operation in Gaza, Danon repeated that Israel must “do whatever is necessary…from the air, from the sea, from the ground, whatever is necessary.”

“Do whatever it takes to destroy the Hamas organization,” emphasized Danon.

The statements comes as Israel carried out a troop deployment of reserve officers at the “headquarter, not field level” near the Gaza border on Thursday, and as rockets from the Hamas enclave continue to fall in a recent escalation of attacks.

Sderot has been particularly hard-hit by the recent Gaza rocket escalation; on Thursday a rocket hit open area right next to the Sderot industrial area, causing no injuries.

Sderot’s industrial area took a harsh blow on Saturday night, when a direct hit was recorded on a plastics factory, burning it completely to the ground.

Hamas: We will continue to kidnap IsraelisHamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhairi says Hamas does not want war with Israel, but “if Israel continues to attack and sets fire to our territory, Hamas will have a strong reaction.

I suggest that Israel not test Hamas’ patience.”

Daniel Siryoti, Reuters and Israel Hayom Staff

via Israel Hayom | Hamas: We will continue to kidnap Israelis.

Hamas is continuing to threaten Israel even as concern grows in Palestinian circles over Israeli retaliation for the kidnapping and murder of three teens. Hamas official Mushir al-Masri in Gaza warned Israel against an escalation in the Gaza Strip, adding that Hamas possesses rockets and missiles capable of reaching Tel Aviv and the densely populated Gush Dan area.

“Hamas will continue kidnapping soldiers and Israelis until the last Palestinian in Israeli prison is freed,” Masri said.

A senior Palestinian official in Ramallah told Israel Hayom that despite the threats, Hamas is not interested in a violent escalation. The official said the Hamas leadership is holding intensive talks with the heads of other Palestinian groups in Gaza in an attempt to calm tensions and to prevent more rockets from being fired at Israel.

He also said the other Palestinian groups in Gaza are also not interested in an escalation, and that the number of rockets being fired from Gaza will decrease in the coming days.

According to Palestinian reports, messages delivered from Israel to Hamas by a third party said that Israel would not continue to suffer the rocket attacks and would retaliate. An official in Ramallah said that messages to Hamas from Israel are delivered via the Palestinian Authority and officials in Qatar.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhairi confirmed in an interview on Lebanese television that his organization is not interested in escalation.

“We are not interested in another war with Israel,” he said. “However, if Israel continues to attack and sets fire to our territory, Hamas will have a strong reaction. I suggest that Israel not test Hamas’ patience.”

Meanwhile in Ramallah, frantic appeals are being made to international organizations to prevent Israel from carrying out a “disproportionate response” to the kidnapping and murder of the teens.

Palestinian media reported that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and his officials are holding talks with officials in Washington, Europe and Western countries regarding concerns over possible Israeli retaliation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and collective punishment of Palestinians in Hebron.

It was also reported that Abbas reached out to the Arab League, asking to hold an emergency conference on the issue.

Arab League Deputy Chairman Muhammad Sabich confirmed the reports, and in interviews given to Arabic press, blamed Israel for the situation. “Israel is the one that caused all the tension because of the ongoing arrests in the Palestinian territories,” he said.

Meanwhile, Israel has revived a long-lapsed policy of destroying suspected militants’ homes, following the finding of the teens’ bodies on Monday.

Israeli forces destroyed the homes of Marwan Qawasmeh and Amer Abu Aisheh, two Palestinian terrorists suspected of abducting and killing the teens.

“If a man comes to kill you, rise up and kill him first.”
Good advice, but how do we follow it when a whole culture has been created out of the idea that they should kill us?

By: Vic RosenthalPublished: July 2nd, 2014

via The Jewish Press » » If Co-Existence is Impossible, Then What?.

We found out that the three boys, Eyal, Gilad and Naftali, were murdered shortly after their abduction. I’m sure we’ll hear the full story, in horrifying detail, at some point.

I can’t imagine how the families must feel. Or rather, I can imagine it but I am certain that their actual experience must be far worse than what I can imagine.

There have been so many terrorist murders, so many murders of children. The Ma’alot massacre, The bus of blood, the Haran family, the Sbarro bombing, the Dolphinarium, the Fogel family. The Palestinians and their supporters tell you it is “resistance to occupation” but in fact it is pure evil, hate made substance. Hate made flesh.

The Left says that it is our fault that they are doing these things because we are not giving them what they want. But what if what they want is to kill us?

Societies protect themselves against murderous criminals by killing or imprisoning them in order to separate them from normal society.

“If a man comes to kill you, rise up and kill him first.” Good advice, but how do we follow it when a whole culture has been created out of the idea that they should kill us?

The Palestinian people have demonstrated by the whole-hearted support shown for the kidnappers, the murderers, that they are satisfied with the path they have taken, the path of hate.

The problem is not a few extremists or criminals or terrorists who need to be killed or captured. The problem is a culture whose essence is to negate ours. These acts will not stop until the culture changes or dies out, or we completely separate ourselves from it. I don’t think our society can tolerate living as a target of terrorism forever.

First we have to decide that yes, we want our society, the Jewish people, to survive, and to continue to do so in its historic homeland. It’s not such a forgone conclusion — many, especially the intellectual elite among us are not so sure. But let’s suppose that we do. Since the nature of the Palestinian Arab culture is not under our control, since we can’t educate them or change them, our survival depends on separation and deterrence.

Then we need to look at geography and military realities. What territories do we need to control as a necessary condition for our survival? Authorities agree that the Jordan Valley and the high ground of Judea and Samaria must remain under our control. This isn’t a political issue, and we don’t need to bring in the spiritual dimension to decide this. It is simply a fact that follows from the topography of the region.

But some of the area that is essential is heavily populated by Arabs, many of whom belong to terror organizations and most of whom wouldn’t accept Jewish sovereignty.

Caroline Glick is probably correct that annexation of all of Judea and Samaria wouldn’t create an Arab majority. She estimates that the Arab population of Israel would go from about 20% to about 30%. She believes that the same relationship that has been established with the Israeli Arabs could be extended to the Arabs of the territories.

The lesson I have drawn from these murders is that she is not correct. It won’t work. This marriage cannot be saved. The educational enterprise of Yasser Arafat and his followers, aided by the West, has succeeded — perhaps beyond expectations. There is no going back. The Palestinian Arabs will not, cannot, coexist with the Jewish people.

The Left wants to trade territories for peace. That isn’t possible. The Right (at least, the moderate Right represented by Ms Glick) wants to keep the territories and coexist with the Arabs. That isn’t possible either.

The logic is inexorable, unfortunately. We commit suicide as a society or we keep the territories — without the Arabs. The Arabs of Judea and Samaria must be encouraged to emigrate. Maybe it can be peaceful and even profitable for them, maybe not. That will depend on them and on the “international community.”

I expect to hear that I’m crazy, a racist, an extremist, a Kahane-ist, and worse. But I don’t hate Arabs. The problem is that the Palestinian culture hates me, and worse, hates my children and grandchildren. I can’t change this, but I need to protect those children and grandchildren.

So if I am crazy, here is a suggestion: explain to me how you would deal with the situation. Do you want the Jewish people to survive? If so, do you agree that we can’t give up control of the territories? If so, do you think we can coexist with the Arabs? Can Israel become a 30% Arab state when most of those Arabs hate our Jewish guts?

If you want to refute my argument, show me where I’m wrong. Nothing would make me happier.