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Last update - 11:51 15/11/2008
Olmert: Israel will not tolerate Gaza rocket fire
By Barak Ravid and Amira Hass, Haaretz Correspondents, and DPA
Tags: Gaza Strip, Israel News 

"Israel views missile fire and attempts to carry out terrorist attacks from the Gaza Strip as a fundamental, gross violation of the understandings that led to the truce," Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said after consulting on Friday with Defense Minister Ehud Barak, IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi, Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin, and other senior officials in the defense establishment.

"Israel has no intention of reconciling with these events," Olmert said, adding that the government will not permit a segment of Israel's civilian population, particularly those living on the outskirts of the Gaza border, to return to a state of uncertainty that preceded the cease-fire.

Under the terms of the cease-fire, which went into effect in mid-June, Israel agreed to allow goods into the Gaza Strip through border crossings it controls, while Gaza militants were to refrain from firing rockets. A policy of closing border crossings in response to rocket fire has been employed by Israel.
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Gaza militnats fired at least sixteen Qassam and Grad rockets into the western Negev since the early morning hours on Friday. One Israeli was lightly wounded in the attacks.

Vice Premier Haim Ramon said Friday that the latest flare-up of violence along the frontier with the Gaza Strip spells the death knell of the six-month truce.

"These last two days are the de facto conclusion of the lull, even if there are those who refuse to recognize this," Ramon said. "When the truce in Gaza was first decided upon, I cautioned that it was a tactical and strategic error by the State of Israel to recognize the state of Hamastan," he added, referring to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.

During a visit to the beleaguered western Negev town of Sderot, the defense minister vowed that the government would move decisively to protect residents living within range of Palestinian projectiles.

"We will keep protecting our soldiers and people and keep acting against attempts to interrupt the cease-fire, but if the other side will want or wish to keep the cease-fire alive, we'll consider it seriously," Barak said.

The strikes began in the early hours of Friday when eight Qassams exploded in and around the southern city of Sderot. Another five rockets, claimed by Hamas to be of the Grad type, struck Ashkelon a few hours later.

One Israeli sustained shrapnel wounds and four others were treated for shock after the first eight rockets exploded in Sderot and in a kibbutz nearby. Two of the rockets that hit Sderot damaged local buildings.

Immediately after the initial barrage, an Israel Air Force aircraft fired a missile at a rocket-launching area in the northern Gaza Strip, wounding two gunmen.

The two gunmen named as members of the Islamic Jihad militant group. Hamas claimed responsibility for all of the rockets fired on Friday.

Meanwhile on Friday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the flare-up in fighting that violated the ceasefire in Gaza Strip has the potential to inflict more suffering and violence to the civilian population.

"Measures that increase the hardship and suffering of the civilian population of the Gaza Strip as a whole are unacceptable and should cease immediately," Ban said.

He urged Israel to allow the UN Relief Works Agency for Palestinian refugees and all humanitarian agencies to resume relief activities in Gaza.

On Thursday, Israel delivered a message to Hamas via Egyptian intermediaries indicating that while it has no interest in escalating tensions along the Gaza border, it would retaliate against any attempt by the Islamist group to carry out attacks.

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      1.   Confusion? 23:55  |  Mark Lincoln 13/11/08
      2.   Attacking Israel 23:57  |  Brod 13/11/08
      3.   Retaliation 00:14  |  Ralph 14/11/08
      4.   hamas bombs you. Israel retaliates with empty words - as usual. 00:41  |  Rob 14/11/08
      5.   The chutzpah is breathtaking! 01:01  |  Johnboy 14/11/08
      6.   Meaning we don`t want to answer for this until AFTER elections 01:08  |  Gee 14/11/08
      7.   Make peace with these people!!!!!!!!!!! 01:36  |  Dan 14/11/08
      8.   Johnboy #6 02:04  |  Jasper 14/11/08
      9.   All these years of UNRWA 02:40  |  Jess Ghannam 14/11/08
      10.   Gilad Shalit`s release was also part of "lull" 02:50  |  Free Gilad Shalit 14/11/08
      11.   Free Gilad Shaiit 03:58  |  Mark Lincoln 14/11/08
      12.   Why, or why not, support the cease fire? 04:06  |  Mark Lincoln 14/11/08
      13.   Its so easy to succeed. 04:36  |  Golani 14/11/08
      14.   never should have said you don`t want escalation in gaza;now your 06:09  |  glenna 14/11/08
      15.   Mark Lincon 09:35  |  Brad 14/11/08
      16.   To Jess 09:39  |  Avinash 14/11/08
      17.   John Boy 09:42  |  Brad 14/11/08
      18.   just an innocent little tunnel 09:42  |  don 14/11/08
      19.   to mark lincoln 09:49  |  rm 14/11/08
      20.   #13, Mark Lincoln, what price for lull 09:57  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 14/11/08
      21.   Gaza cease fire 10:18  |  J.G. 14/11/08
      22.   The Israeli Army has become one soulless army 10:42  |  Dutch 14/11/08
      23.   Unbelievable "professor" Johnboy`s #6 chutzpah! 10:48  |  S 14/11/08
      24.   It doesn`t take much to note who the real villains are .. 11:05  |  Duitch 14/11/08
      25.   Time to call on Jesus 11:27  |  lady from USA 14/11/08
      26.   Johnboy 11:34  |  lady from USA 14/11/08
      27.   No peace anytime soon. 11:46  |  Natallie Durson 14/11/08
      28.   #6 Johnboy 12:02  |  MR 14/11/08
      29.   Sorry about my mistake of Johnboy`s location 12:13  |  S 14/11/08
      30.   Living in Sderot. 12:33  |  Mario Sala 14/11/08
      31.   Gaza 12:57  |  lady from USA 14/11/08
      32.   Dutch 13:27  |  lady from USA 14/11/08
      33.   Bad luck, IAF didn`t carpet Gaza 14:00  |  maurice 14/11/08
      34.   No 18 S john boy is no academic 14:15  |  Jasmine Murphy 14/11/08
      35.   Israel must cease all shipments of supplies to the Gaza Strip 14:36  |  Aviva 14/11/08
      36.   Go to hell, Natallie 14:40  |  Angel 14/11/08
      37.   Is Israel Begging......? 14:42  |  Dagma 14/11/08
      38.   Is Israel Begging......? 14:42  |  Dagma 14/11/08
      39.   Mario Sala 14:52  |  lady from USA 14/11/08
      40.   #22 durson pained 14:55  |  odles 14/11/08
      41.   #19.Dutch from Mass.USA is immoral woman. What shameful Dutch. 15:15  |  Vittorio 14/11/08
      42.   Olmert and Kadima have got to go 15:15  |  Ron 14/11/08
      43.   And all we hear from the 1%ers is blah blah blah 15:21  |  Arie 14/11/08
      44.   Israel must do the following: 1)Close the border passing for good 15:56  |  Aldo 14/11/08
      45.   TO NO 15 CIPORA 16:04  |  DANNY 14/11/08
      46.   Johnboy with his long range binoculars 16:50  |  * BEN JABO 14/11/08
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    		 #17 Dutch - spoken like the gutless person you are 16:52  |  * BEN JABO 14/11/08
      48.   #24 S no need for apology 16:56  |  * BEN JABO 14/11/08
      49.