Most of the rockets and mortars fired toward Israeli civilians fail to make it out of Gaza, or land in empty fields. Over the course of seven years, they have killed 11 Israelis. During the same time, many more Palestinians have died from them, either because they have exploded on the way to launching or landed on them instead of on Israelis.
This week, a missile injured two brothers who were on their way to a cash machine so they could buy their father a birthday present. The younger brother, age 8, absorbed a great deal of shrapnel. Physicians have already amputated one of his legs, and they are fighting to save the other. They are also fighting to save his life. He remains unconscious several days after the injury.
The missile that injured him was one of more than 20 fired toward Israeli settlements on the day of his injury. Numerous others had come in the previous days, seemingly in response to the killing of several Palestinians by the IDF.
For the residents of Sderot and other settlements near Gaza, as well as for numerous other Israelis, the boy's injuries were more than enough. The occasional death is only one measure of the damage done to the towns near Gaza. Perhaps 20 percent of the residents have moved away; factories have closed, or are losing money as employees have left, or spend considerable time going to and from shelters in response to warning sirens; children and adults suffer from emotional exhaustion to the point of psychological injury.
Hundreds of people from the area have come to the center of the country in order to demonstrate their frustration and demand greater action in their defense. One day they blocked a main road in Jerusalem; the next day they were doing the same in Tel Aviv. Early reports were that drivers indicated their support for the inconvenience, rather than expressing anger as they have done for other movements that have sought to press demands by blocking traffic.
Politicians are calling for a military onslaught into Gaza, or the razing of Gazan neighborhoods. Meanwhile, the British and American governments, and humanitarian organizations here and abroad, have protested against Israel's first cut of one percent in what is said to be a gradual cutting back of the electricity transmitted to Gaza. In the eyes of these sharp readers of international law, it is not proper to harm Gaza civilians, even while Gazans aim their missiles at Israeli civilians.
The government is absorbing considerable pressure from those who want more effective action, most prominently a major invasion that will impose order on Gaza. Military professionals oppose an invasion, due partly to the cost in soldiers' lives, and partly to the limited contribution it is likely to make to ending the missile attacks absolutely. They prefer targeted killings of key operatives, and small unit actions that spend short periods in Gaza to damage installations, seize wanted figures, kill or injure those who oppose them, and then withdraw before they become fixed targets for counter attack.
The defense minister argues that an escalation of current activity, but not a full blown invasion, is the best way to deal with the missile attacks. The missiles will not stop soon, he admits, but they should stop eventually.
Demonstrators continue to disrupt traffic and make their points with friendly hosts of talk radio and nightly television news. So far, the media are close to 100 percent with the protesters. There is a wide national feeling that the southerners have suffered more than enough. It is time for the government and the IDF to do something more effective.
It will be a while until we know how all these pressures will affect the muddlers. The prime minister is in Germany discussing important things with the chancellor and president of that country. The defense minister is scheduled to make a short visit to Turkey in order to discuss mutual problems of security. Other ministers and defense officials continue to ponder options.
It is one of those times to check the media frequently. And even more frequently once the defense minister and prime minister are sitting around the same table.
Ira Sharkansky (Emeritus)
Department of Political Science
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Home tel: 972-2-532-2725
Cell phone: 054-683-5325
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