10 Qassams hit W. Negev; rocket strike sparks fire in wheat field
Sderot resident lightly wounded; School turnout low as classes resume; Sderot film festival moved to Netivot.
By Or Kashti and Mijal GrinbergTen Qassam rockets struck the western Negev on Monday, nine of them hitting Sderot, one landing as Defense Minister Amir Peretz turned out in his hometown to vote in the Labor Party primaries.
Several of the rockets fell in open areas, one sparked a fire when it hit a wheat field, and another struck the Sderot cemetery. One Sderot resident was very lightly wounded, and there was limited damage.
The Southern Film Festival, which was scheduled to open in Sderot, was moved to Netivot due to the threat of rockets.
Meanwhile, few students arrived at school in Sderot Monday, which reopened for first to ninth graders, after two weeks of disruptions due to the Qassams.
At one elementary school, just 20 of the 150 pupils turned up, and in another only 20 out of 300 arrived for school.
The Education Ministry on Sunday rejected the request of Mayor Eli Moyal to end the school year in the town immediately.
Directors of the southern district at the Education Ministry discussed the matter on Sunday and decided that the damages incurred by ending the school year now would exceed the benefits.
"Pedagogically speaking, it is neither appropriate nor correct to end the school year in Sderot now. There has never been a case where the school year ended a month early," Education Minister Yuli Tamir said.
"There will be no benefit if the pupils sit in an unprotected home, bored and frightened. The teachers continue to give assignments to the pupils, and there are marathon sessions in locations outside the town in preparation for the matriculation exams," she said.
"The public school system has not stopped functioning because of the crisis. We are under no illusions that if Qassams fall near the pupils they will continue their routine without interruption, but we are trying to offer the best possible solutions."
The minister pointed out that the rise in the number of pupils who pass their matriculation exams in Sderot proves that the educational efforts are meeting their targets.
The Education Ministry has also promised to offer activities during the summer holiday in Sderot, Tamir said.
Sderot pupils still in town Sunday were bussed to nearby communities for several hours in order to spend time in places not threatened by Qassam rockets.
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upon Jews, commencing with Tel Hai in 1920, Hebron 1929 & 1936, and their refusal to accept the UN Partition plan affording them an independent state of their own. Problem existed long before Rabin ever took office. Gaza confines that those have proven time and again that their utmost desire is expel the Jews, using bloodshed as the means. Sending homicide bombers into Israel isn't what you might call a friendly gesture. You, as a assumely prudent person lock your house doors and those that wish to harm you, remove you car keys to prevent it being stolen. Israel has taken the same precautions. Tim can repeat his views all he wants, doesn't mean that I will accept them, and he's been told so several times. I'll tell you once again, GOOGLE "Wikipedia's TIMELINES ISRAELI ARAB CONFLICT", you just might learn what really transpired. As they say, if water drips on a rock long enough, it will drill a hole. There's hope for you too.
It's common ARAB practice to hide their fighters among civilians. They know it affords them some protection. You must keep in mind, these are the very same people that have no compunction of using their women and children as human shields. Israeli missiles are a lot more accurate than Kassam's. Imagine the casualty rate if Israel relied on Kassam types. As they say, sh-t happens.
I am but a single voice among many of those who are tired of seeing Israel demonized and Arab moderates marginalized. There has got to be a better way that will lead to overcoming of this deep hatred and hostility toward Israel. Many Arabs already recognize that and the benefits the entire Middle East will see.
http://www.courant.com/technology/hc-techlede0524.artmay24,0,2141013.story
only.The Occupation is the root cause.Check and see how Rabin laid the foundations of converting Gaza into the open air prison,and Sharon just took over.Continued open air prison in Gaza and then imposed the insufferable situation in WB.The Palestinian response of attacks is the natural and spontaneous of people placed in such intolerable situations.How can you not see that?
again and again i agree with you, always the best point of view
Thank you! "Has anyone noticed that, while the Palestinian children are skinny and go to bed hungry most nights, most Palestinian leaders of Hamas and Fatah have pot bellies and pudgy faces. Their business is blood and misery for profit and power. Hamas, Fatah could care less about their fellow Arabs or Jews. Hamas,Fatah use the Pals as shields. They strike from rooftops and from backyards and from school yards. Hamas,Fatah leaders love it when an IDF missile goes off target and kills Pal civilians. The brainwashed Palestinian-Arabs blame their misery on Jews, not on their corrupt, immoral leaders. But, how does the IDF strike back without harming the Palestinian civilians that the terrorists hide among?" -- Finkelstein
Please note that the article referred to rockets falling on the Negev. Although no homes nor people were hurt, according to what I have heard the wheat harvest has been devestated. Is this correct? I recall attacks on Jews for cutting down olive trees. However, the Arabs were given full rein to cut down citrus groves and now are allowed to destroy the wheat harvest. And the world still supports them! This is insane.
as I've told you before, the Pali's built the prison all by their lonesome. Continual homicide attacks, bus bombings, blowing up pizza parlors, shopping center, night clubs weren't any indication that the Pali's intended to be friendly. If you're prudent, you lock your house doors to keep yourself secure, remove keys from the car so it won't be stolen, Israel did the same. Understand? No, I really don't think you do or ever will.
honesty and call upon the Hamas to cease trying to murder Israeli civilians in the villages and the small town of Sderot, located on sovereign Israeli soil?? How many of those accusing Israel of killing civilians in Lebanon are also willing to blame the Islamists of Hamas of killing people in Israel without even having been provoked?? And if you can't, why should we take your critique of Israel seriously and not yet another opportunity to be negative about anything Israel and anything Jewish??
In today's Israel the children of the rich are driving to their schools in armored cars. The poor children in Sderot are attending their classes inder the Quaasam fires. I am wandering if the Minister of Education will send his children to the school in Sderot. There aare many other ways to move the school somewhere else for a month. Israel didn't change since 1948 for a portion of the immigrants. It is sad to see that no one is talking about the safety of the Sderot's children in Israel.
IDF must destroy completely the Hamas and their supporters. That's the best truce for us and the free world. No more words,action. They must suffer ten times all what we had suffered up today. Our best defense is to attack them.
Out of the hundreds of rockets that fell on Sederot over the past few years, most of them fell harmlessly into open fields and there were hardly any fatalities. While not trying to belittle the threat of the Qassams, however its effectiveness is being exagerated. Qassams are the Palestinian's message that they will accept their imprisonment, starvation and the status quo. The IDF was unable to stop the barrage while it had total control of the Gaza strip, the incursion into Gaza is meant more as a punishment of the Palestinians rather than a realistic attempt at stopping it.
Has anyone noticed that, while the Palestinian children are skinny and go to bed hungry most nights, most Palestinian leaders of Hamas and Fatah have pot bellies and pudgy faces. Their business is blood and misery for profit and power. Hamas, Fatah could care less about their fellow Arabs or Jews. Hamas,Fatah use the Pals as shields. They strike from rooftops and from backyards and from school yards. Hamas,Fatah leaders love it when an IDF missile goes off target and kills Pal civilians. The brainwashed Palestinian-Arabs blame their misery on Jews, not on their corrupt, immoral leaders. But, how does the IDF strike back without harming the Palestinian civilians that the terrorists hide among?
WOMEN ARE THE MOST FEROCIOUS FIGHTERS GIVE A WOMEN GENERAL TO HANDLE THE PAL SITUATION AND SEE THEM HOW FAST THE ROCKETS STOP1 Fight THEM WITH AN OVERWHELMING FORCE. 72 HOURS OF REAL ROCKETS ON GAZA UNTIL THE ENEMY CALLS FOR THEIR MOMMIES. MAKE THE WORLD CALL ISRAEL OFF AFTER THERE IS NO MORE ELECTED TERRORISTS STANDING! ISRAEL IS NOW RUN BY IMPUDENT OLD MEN. G.MIER
THE HOLY QURAN Surah 17. Isra', The Night Journey, Children Of Israel 104. And We said thereafter to the Children of Israel, "Dwell securely in the land (of promise)": but when the second of the warnings came to pass, We gathered you together in a mingled crowd. 105. We sent down the (Qur'an) in Truth, and in Truth has it descended: and We sent thee but to give Glad Tidings and to warn (sinners). 106. (It is) a Qur'an which We have divided (into parts from time to time), in order that thou mightest recite it to men at intervals: We have revealed it by stages. 107. Say: "Whether ye believe in it or not, it is true that those who were given knowledge beforehand, when it is recited to them, fall down on their faces in humble prostration, 108. "And they say: 'Glory to our Lord! Truly has the promise of our Lord been fulfilled!'" 109. They fall down on their faces in tears, and it increases their (earnest) humility. http://www.islamicity.com/mosque/QURAN/
Its time for them to leave the office. They are paralyzed by their own incompetence and political weakness. There are tough decisions to be made regarding hitting Hamas, not symbolic ones. They've learned nothing from the war with Hezbollah so they are afraid to act.
You must do with, evil Gaza as told to the Hebrews in your bible so many times before! Allah, does not support this Palestinian behavier from Muslim's! Especially towards the people of the land as told in our Holy Quran..READ!! As depicted in our Holy Quran, Chapter 17, verse 104 to 107 given to you here in english for all the world to see!http://www.islamicity.com/mosque/QURAN/17.htm
As long as you keep the Palestinians in the world's biggest prison, you'll get no sympathy from anyone other than the usual nodding heads.
The days of bullying are forever gone for Israel. Haven't you learned anthing from Lebanon'06? Peace and accomodation is th eonly way out of this cycle of violence.
WELL, IS GAZA BURNING ???
No response to these terror rockets=more rockets. Time to tear into Gaza's infrastructure.
Sderot and make a personal, first hand observation of the situation. ONLY eight Kassam's landed. I understand real estate prices have dropped, now's your opportunity to buy a home at a very reasonable price and experience matters personally. You neglected to mention where you're writing from, I can assume it's from a nice safe place.
If schools are open for business. Obviously there has been a certain amount of exaggeration going on.
Militias should be formed to react to Arab terror in its own ways. Why should a dying city depend on a psychotic and corrupt Prime Minister for its sole protection! Shoot one thousand cheap rockets into Gaza, and they will shut up fast!
Now don't tell me that no one in Sderot has the knowhow to manufacture a primitve missile such as the Qassam. Any chemistry student knows how to make simple explosives. It doesn't take much skill in metalworking to build the projectile itself. The security forces will not try very hard to find you, because you will be able to get away with things they do not dare to do. So let's see our Israeli Qassams start falling on the houses and schools of Gaza! Arabs understand the language of unbridled violence.