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Sderot celebrates with a split personality By Moti Katz A long line of cars made its way slowly out of Sderot about an hour before the beginning of the Independence Day events. Only a few vehicles were heading the other way, into the city. On the stage set up in the town center the last rehearsals for the main ceremony were taking place, as hundreds of security guards milled on the surrounding lawn, receiving last briefings. Advertisement Sderot's chief security officer, Yehuda Benmaman, and the ceremony's director, Shimon Cohen, were scrambling onto the stage. "I wouldn't say I am calm," said Cohen. "The event's success depends on the people who arrive and, of course, on the absence of Qassam rockets. I pray it will pass in peace. We built the central stage in an open area, like we do every year, near the fortified sports building, so if rockets do fall, people can take shelter quickly." The preparations for Independence Day events in Sderot were accompanied by tension, and not only because of a possible Qassam attack. The event's organizers were angry at the Jewish Agency's decision to hold a ceremony for the communities along the Gaza border in the Eshkol forest, for fear they would "steal the show." In addition, a group of Sderot businesspeople decided to boycott the municipal events to protest against the government's "wasting" money on the 60th anniversary events instead of compensating them. They mounted an alternative event on Friday, but their protest failed to take off. Only a handful of people attended. As the Independence Day preparations continued, the stage vendors set up stalls on the road opposite and organized their wares: sausages, barbecue grills and holiday decorations. Clearly this was Sderot's small business owners' big day. When one of the journalists who came to cover the event asked a vendor for a receipt, the latter burst into laughter. "A receipt? You're not from Sderot, are you? Where are you from? Tel Aviv? There are no receipts here. This is our chance to make some money." Many Sderot youngsters went to Ashkelon and Be'er Sheva, said Omemi. "They all wanted to get out and get a breath of fresh air tonight. Nobody wanted to be scared on this day as well." The two were fearful that people wouldn't come, and they wouldn't make a living. "There are more business owners and policemen than ordinary people," said Omemi nervously. The fear that a Qassam alert would spoil the party was evident on people's faces. A group of women were alarmed for a moment by a call from one of the loudspeakers. A small flurry ensued. "Moshe," one woman told her husband, "go see what happened there, maybe there was a landing. Where have the kids disappeared to, now of all times? Go find them." "It's all right," soothed a vendor. "It's only the patrol command post loudspeaker." Bookmark to del.icio.us   Siniora vs. Hezbollah The Lebanon prime minister accuses Hezbollah of staging a coup. Plant down - again Palestinians say tha Gaza power plant has closed due to a fuel shortage.

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