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The Qassams and the folly By Reuven Pedatzur Tags: Qassam, Gaza, IDF  The letter the Home Front Command distributed this week to residents of Ashdod, Kiryat Malachi and Kiryat Gat is yet another high point in the march of folly of the Israeli defense establishment, which has been trying for eight years to counter the Qassam rockets launched from Gaza. "In view of the possibility that the rockets will also reach your region, it is very important that you and your family be prepared to deal with the difficulties with which you are not familiar in your daily life," read the letter, which was distributed by soldiers serving in the Home Front Command. They also offered instructions on what to do if rockets are fired at the frightened residents' homes. Instead of dealing with the threat and neutralizing it, the Israel Defense Forces prefers a policy of ever-expanding self defense, for which the financial cost is tremendous. It is also not an effective solution to the rocket threat. The failure of the IDF, and in turn the entire defense establishment, is so grave that it should provoke amazement about the quality of the decision-making process. It should provoke amazement about the abilities of the giant and sophisticated army that cannot deal with a terrorist organization with several dozen fighters driving an entire country crazy and making the lives of hundreds of thousands of people unbearable. Indeed, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was the one who declared that "we must not fortify ourselves to death." But he was also the one who led the government's decision this week to allocate NIS 695 million for protecting the communities near Gaza. And why does this tremendous sum need to be allocated for defense? Because a series of decisions initiated by the Defense Ministry turned out to be mistaken and, to a large extent, misleading. Advertisement At the start of the process, when the pressure on the people living near the Gaza border increased after years of rocket attacks, the government allocated billions to develop the Iron Dome defense system against the Qassams. The residents of Sderot and the area were promised that if they were patient, they would be protected when the system was completed. But it quickly became clear that what had been known before but hidden from the eyes of the government decision makers was that Iron Dome was not capable of defending the communities near Gaza. A Qassam rocket from Beit Hanun takes around 13 seconds to reach Sderot, while the preparations to send an Iron Dome missile to intercept it take at least 15 seconds. When what was obvious all along became clear to the prime minister and his cabinet, they decided to provide protection for 6,000 housing units in communities less than 4.5 kilometers from the Gaza Strip. They thus tacked on another NIS 700 million or so to the huge investments in developing defense systems. Meanwhile, it turned out that the promise to complete Iron Dome in 2009 was also not realistic. The date for its completion spilled over into 2010, then 2011, and there is still more to come. And what in the meantime? Apparently another few hundred million shekels will be invested to protect homes in Ashkelon, Ashdod, Kiryat Gat and Kiryat Malachi. And when, as is to be expected, the range of the rockets held by Hamas increases, homes in Be'er Sheva will also be protected, no doubt. And there, too, the Home Front Command will explain that residents must learn how "to deal with difficulties that they are not familiar with in their daily lives." All this is happening at a time when other defense systems exist and some are even operative and ready to use, but the defense establishment is not prepared to hear about them. There is a system for intercepting Qassams using lasers, and also a rapid-fire cannon that American forces have used successfully in Iraq that intercepts rockets and even mortar shells. (Iron Dome, incidentally, is not even supposed to counter mortar shells, while in the past eight years thousands of such bombs have been fired at communities along the Gaza border.) And why are the people in the Defense Ministry not prepared to hear about these other defense systems that are cheaper and ready to use? Possibly because it will become clear that there is no longer a need for Iron Dome, and that the decision to develop it was a mistake. And then where will we be? The IDF has failed and must change its policy. No longer should there be a defeatist policy based on the notion that it is impossible to deal with Qassam rockets and the only thing left to do is protect people's homes. The rockets are fired from a limited area and the number of fighters sent to launch them is tiny. The army cannot give up and threaten the decision makers that only a large-scale military operation to conquer the Gaza Strip will solve the problem. The IDF's senior officers must use their imaginations, upgrade their operative thinking and come up with solutions to dealing with the rockets. It is not logical that the only solution is protecting more and more citizens by sending them into reinforced safety rooms and shelters. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Picking up the pieces U.S. Jews ponder 'catastrophic' effects of Bernard Madoff affair. Little Adolf Three-year-old Adolf Hitler finally gets his name on his birthday cake.   1.   Follow the Money 10:52  |  Mark of Lewiston 10/12/08   2.   I will vote now Bibi. he will stop the Qassams 10:55  |  leftist in heart 10/12/08   3.   PLAY POLITICS WITH PEOPLE LIVES (AGAIN) 11:02  |  indrajaya 10/12/08   4.   Fear of condemnation is more important than our citizens lives. 11:35  |  Harvey 10/12/08   5.   a few dozoen ......? 12:38  |  ravi 10/12/08   6.   Kadima and Labor are incapable of protecting us 13:21  |  ARA 10/12/08   7.   Bet Hanun 13:44  |  michael cohen 10/12/08   8.   Only effective cure is a fair and just peace agreement 14:20  |  Jens 10/12/08   9.   RAVI from Punjab the source of the terrorists 14:25  |  PETER SM 10/12/08   10.   INDRAJAYA Mercy for Israeli POW`s`? Who knows if he is alive 14:31  |  PETER SM 10/12/08   11.   Time Delay 14:50  |  Jeff Northridge 10/12/08   12.   BibI Bibi Bibi.. 15:24  |  Eliezer Edwin 10/12/08   13.   JENS where has Hamas indicated they want"a fair& just solution"? 15:27  |  PETER SM 10/12/08   14.   # 12, ELIEZER EDWIN 15:44  |  indrajaya 10/12/08   15.   Massive , unrellenting , pinpoint GPS operations 15:53  |  TOMY 10/12/08   16.   Ravi 16:23  |  utagawa 10/12/08   17.   Ravi who thinks we`d have to kill every man woman and child 16:29  |  Allon 10/12/08   18.   reuven pedatzur an excellent piece 16:59  |  harzion 10/12/08   19.   PeterSM to Jens 17:37  |  Guido 10/12/08   20.   In addition I would ask the following 17:46  |  Banana Republica 10/12/08   21.   GUIDO.Voting for Hamas government is voting for their policies 17:46  |  PETER SM 10/12/08   22.   guido in paris,if you think hamas has nothing to do with the fate 18:09  |  terrornator 10/12/08   23.   IT`S TIME FOR ACTION 18:58  |  Ian 10/12/08   24.   Guido # 19 What Are You Talking About? 18:58  |  Jeff Northridge 10/12/08   25.   The fear from extremist jews 19:18  |  S Awaad 10/12/08   26.   reuven pedatzur we must not forget we were unable 19:31  |  harzion 10/12/08   27.   we need more of the operational excellence 19:46  |  harzion 10/12/08   28.   the best way to regain this operational brilliance 20:13  |  tuvia raviv 10/12/08   29.   anyone who remembers the logistical nightmare 20:20  |  haim erez 10/12/08   30.   tuvia raviv 20:37  |  rich 10/12/08   31.   The Cure Must Start in Tehran, Riyadh, Islamabad 20:48  |  k/kpoltra 10/12/08   32.   Money for Policos Contractors 21:01  |  Baruch Gold 10/12/08   33.   Why can`t the IDF handle the few dozen terrorists? 22:58  |  TonyL 10/12/08   34.   A soultion that doesnt involve killing. 23:23  |  Steve J 10/12/08   35.   Steve J # 34 There`s Two Major Problems With That 00:43  |  Jeff Northridge 11/12/08   36.   Why can`t the IDF stop a few dozen terrorists? 01:21  |  Mark Lincoln 11/12/08   37.   Steve J 03:43  |  Jasper 11/12/08   38.   this writer is ignorant 07:02  |  David 11/12/08   39.   qassams and the folly of the idf 07:09  |  stevie schaffer 11/12/08   40.   Why can`t the IDF stop a few dozen Hebron settlers?? 09:31  |  Benjamina 11/12/08

Read & React 3-year-old Adolf Hitler finally gets his name on his birthday cake Responses: 130 Barak: Iran could attack the U.S. with a nuclear bomb Responses: 104 Britain steps up fight against West Bank settlements Responses: 63 Leftist U.S. Jewish group backs Israelis who shun IDF draft Responses: 28 Jews of Yemen reportedly to be relocated in wake of deadly attack Responses: 18 More Headlines 14:29 7 rockets hit Negev, as IAF renews Gaza strikes 14:25 Barak to Haaretz: The truce with Gaza was not a mistake 10:53 ANALYSIS / Hamas seems to want a cease-fire - but with Qassams 14:32 Hadassah Women: We lost $90 million in Madoff's Wall Street scam 12:18 Poll: Kadima narrows gap with Likud as party picks potential lawmakers 13:39 Police arrest driver of fatal bus crash upon his release from hospital 14:46 Dozens of police officers injured in botched civil unrest drill 12:11 Israel bites back at UN watchdog over alleged strike on Syria reactor 12:36 Jews of Yemen reportedly to be relocated in wake of deadly attack 10:59 Leftist U.S. Jewish group backs Israelis who shun IDF enlistment 10:17 Exclusive Jewish country club feels the sting of Madoff fraud 11:27 Britain steps up fight against West Bank settlements 05:29 Circumcision more bitter than sweet for motherless twins 06:28 Government mulling proposal to repair Muslim holy sites Previous Editions Select Day 17 dec 16 dec 15 dec 14 dec 12 dec 11 dec 10 dec 09 dec 08 dec 07 dec 05 dec 04 dec

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