Subscribe to Print Edition | Wed., December 31, 2008 Tevet 4, 5769 | | Israel Time: 02:20 (EST+7)   Back to Homepage web haaretz.com Haaretz Toolbar Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Car Rental Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate Joy of Giving Travel Week's End Anglo File

News in Brief The Home Front Command has ordered residents of all communities within 40 kilometers of the Gaza Strip, including Be'er Sheva and Yavneh, to take precautions against the possibility of rocket strikes. For communities 30 to 40 kilometers from Gaza, this means staying within one minute of a sheltered space and remaining in that space for five minutes after a rocket alert sounds. The order was issued after two Katyusha rockets landed near Ashdod, some 35 kilometers from Gaza, on Sunday. Home Front officers said they are so far pleased with southern residents' poise under fire. (Amos Harel) The Ashkelon Magistrate's Court was closed yesterday due to the rocket attacks on the city, and the court announced that it will be closed today as well. One duty officer will remain in the building to receive urgent applications for assistance, which will then be sent to courts in Ashdod or Kiryat Gat for a ruling. "Our hearts are with the residents of Ashkelon and the surrounding area," wrote Judge Moshe Mechlis. "We hope we will be able to resume our daily routine soon." (Ofra Edelman) Advertisement Hundreds of families around Israel have offered to host residents of the south while the fighting in Gaza continues, but so far, there have been few takers, according to organizations and municipalities that have been set up as matchmakers. "People don't abandon their home so quickly. That is what we are discovering," said Herzliya municipality spokeswoman Dorit Basman. Southerners interested in accepting an offer of home hospitality can phone the following hotlines: Tel Aviv, 03-523-8888; Herzliya, 09-959-1520/7; Haifa, 1-700-507-002; the Jewish Agency, 1-800-221-314; or the Yedid nonprofit organization, 052-676-7171. (Ofra Edelman) Maj. Gen. Yohanan Danino will take over as head of the Southern District Police effective immediately, Public Security Minister Avi Dichter and Police Commissioner David Cohen announced yesterday. Danino, who currently heads the Investigations and Intelligence division, was supposed to have begun his new job only in May or June, to give him time to complete several high-profile investigations, including one against Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. But because of the fighting in the south, his bosses decided the position could not remain unfilled that long. Danino's predecessor, Uri Bar-Lev, has been on involuntary leave for months. (Jonathan Lis) Utilities in the south have so far been working normally, but have begun preparing for the possibility of a missile strike. The Israel Electric Corporation, for instance, has suspended initiated power cuts for the purpose of routine repairs, while Ashdod Port has begun removing containers of hazardous materials. Rail traffic in the south is also thus far operating normally, though drivers have been told to stop the trains whenever a rocket alert sounds. (Avi Bar-Eli) Police are worried that the death of a Bedouin construction worker in a rocket strike in Ashkelon yesterday could lead to unrest among the Bedouin communities in the Negev. They have therefore assigned some 180 policemen to the job of keeping the peace in these communities. Officers will also contact Bedouin leaders in an effort to calm tempers. Public Security Minister Avi Dichter has told the police that because these communities adjoin the Hebron Hills region of the West Bank, where Hamas is most likely to attempt to send a suicide bomber into Israel, it is vital to prevent unrest that might result in individual Bedouin collaborating with Hamas. (Amir Zohar) Hundreds of students from leftist and Arab parties demonstrated against the military operation in Gaza at universities throughout the country yesterday. The black-clad demonstrators who shouted denunciations of the government were met by rightist counter-demonstrators who called the leftists "traitors" and "fifth columns." The worst confrontations took place at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. At Tel-Aviv University, police arrested three demonstrators. (Ofri Ilani and Roi Semyoni) Demonstrations against the military operation in Gaza continued across the country yesterday. Six Israeli Arab demonstrators were arrested opposite the Egyptian embassy in Tel Aviv after scuffling with police. At Tel Aviv University four protesters were detained after a confrontation with rightist demonstrators. The demonstrators began gathering in the university's central Entin Square dressed in black in the early afternoon, and were soon met by a group of counter-protesters. (Yuval Goren) Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilani met with representatives from the private and public business sectors in order to coordinate a joint initiative to assist residents in the south threatened by rocket fire. The meeting was intended to prevent the situation that prevailed during the Second Lebanon War when hundreds of charity initiatives were launched with little or no coordination, resulting in poor distribution of resources. Participants yesterday praised the government's newly-created center for coordinating welfare initiatives. (Ruth Sinai) Education Minister Yuli Tamir has requested that schools around the country discuss the escalation in violence in the south of the country with pupils when they return from Hannukah vacation today. However, schools within 20 kilometers from the Gaza Strip will remain closed. "Children who don't live in the area around the Gaza Strip are also worried and distressed by the situation," Tamir said. "Our guidelines are aimed to ensure schools set aside time to relieve these fears." (Or Kashti) Israelis have been glued to their TV screens over the past few days following breaking news of events in the Gaza Strip with news programs dominating the ratings list. Seven out of the 10 most watched shows in the past week were news bulletins and reports. Some 13 percent of those viewing at home tuned in to see Channel 2's news at 6:00 P.M. while the channel's 8:00 P.M. news was watched by 23.9 percent of the public. Channel 10's current affairs program, London and Kirschenbaum, had ratings of over 10 percent. (Gili Izikovitch) Bookmark to del.icio.us   Iranian Jews protest Members of Tehran's small Jewish community demonstrate against IDF operation in Gaza. Missile's view Watch Israel's attack on Gaza from the perspective of the missile.

Read & React Rockets fired from Gaza kill 2 Israelis within hour Responses: 224 ANALYSIS / Hamas is hoping for an IDF ground operation Responses: 135 Grossman / Is Israel imprisoned in the ceremony of war? Responses: 117 Prolonged Gaza operation spells trouble for Israel Responses: 46 Chicago synagogue firebombed; police probe possible link to Gaza violence Responses: 36 More Headlines 00:36 Gaza rockets strike Be'er Sheva area for first time 23:43 Olmert: Gaza offensive to go on until Israel's aims achieved 00:23 IAF unleashes massive strike on Hamas tunnel network near Rafah 23:57 Barak asks cabinet to approve emergency call-up of 2,520 reservists 21:17 ANALYSIS / Hamas is hoping for an IDF ground operation in Gaza 00:11 Ex-U.S. Army engineer Kadish pleads guilty to spying for Israel 22:21 WATCH: Israel's attack on Gaza from the missiles' viewpoint 16:50 IN PICTURES / Firestorm over Gaza 00:45 VIDEO / Mubarak: We'll open Gaza crossing only if PA takes control 22:23 Quartet calls for immediate truce between Israel and Gaza 22:22 IDF war games predict look of Gaza ground operation 21:05 Iran clerics recruit Islamist fighters to aid Hamas' battle against Israel 22:29 Israeli boy, 3, lightly wounded by Palestinian stone-throwers 17:04 Elder child of Chabad Mumbai attack victims dies of long-term illness 02:09 Throngs at Ashdod funeral mark 'war against Israeli normalcy' 02:17 Mayor of rocket-battered Netivot calls for talks with Hamas Previous Editions Select Day 30 dec 29 dec 28 dec 26 dec 25 dec 24 dec 23 dec 22 dec 21 dec 19 dec 18 dec 17 dec

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