Peretz meets Sderot-area reserve soldiers who wrote protest letter
Dozens of reservists send letter to PM demanding that their families be protected from rocket fire.
By Haaretz ServiceDefense Minister Amir Peretz on Friday met with a group of Israel Defense Forces Reserves soldiers from the Sderot area who penned a letter protesting the continued Qassam rocket attacks.
The letter, published in the Friday edition of the Hebrew-language daily Yediot Aharonoth and addressed at Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, was written by dozens of IDF Reserves soldiers from the western Negev who expressed their dissatisfaction with the government's handling of the situation, and said that it diminishes their will to serve in Israel's armed forces.
"We refuse to allow our children and the residents of the [Sderot] area to continue to be Israel's cannon fodder," the letter read.
During the meeting that took place at Peretz's home in Sderot, the reserves soldiers were shown IDF tactics aimed at steming the rocket fire.
An earlier draft of the letter to Olmert said the residents were refusing to serve, but the reservists said they backed off that position before sending the letter.
Sderot has been a regular target of Qassam rockets fired by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip for several years, but the barrage of rocket fire has intensified in recent weeks, spurring a limited IDF operation in Gaza. At least two Qassam rockets struck the area Friday morning, causing no injuries.
"We demand that the Israeli government does what it needs to do, and that is to bring us and our families protection," said Haim Kuznitz, a lieutenant colonel in the reserves and one of the signatories to the protest letter.
"We want the Israeli government to sit down and decide to bring quiet to the Sderot region and the area around Gaza, decide what action to take - military, not military, diplomatic, political, it's not our concern," he said in an interview with Israel Radio on Friday.
"People feel that they can't go and serve in other places and completely abandon their families here," he said. "We have now been abandoned by the Israeli government. And today we - as husbands, as heads of the family, as parents, as fathers - still provide some protection just by being here. When we leave here, the families are completely abandoned."
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Israeli workers unloading a concrete bomb shelter next to a community center in Sderot on Thursday. (AP) |
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Actually I didn't find it worth to even respond to your nonsense, but then I just wanted to express my hope that your Talkback pseudonym doesn't resemble your nationality. I hope by God that you're not Dutch because in that case you're just bringing real shame to all the sane people in Holland. Your response makes one think that you're completely sick in the head and you'd better seriously go seek the help of a psychiatrist, the sooner the better.
why don't they send qassams on your head?
When Peretz quit, the new minister must act quickly because finally nobody willgo to milouim
You hit the nail right on the head. I only hope someone is listening.
COME VISIT SDEROT FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS AND SEE HOW YOU LIKE THE 4TH OF JULY! WAIT , DO YOU HEAR THE BUSS OF THE INCOMING RIGHT NOW OVER YOUR, HOUSE NOW? HERE TI COMES! YEAHHHHH!!!!!!FIREWORKS!!! OH MY IT LANDED ON YOUR FAMILY HOME!ARE YOUR CHILDREN OKAY? LOVE, NACHUM OF SDEROT
OMERT & PERETZ, FIGHT TO THE MAXIMUM CAPABILITY TO DEFEND US , OR STEP DOWN! BOTH OF YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOUR SELVES!
WHY IS GAZA NOT BURNING? WHY DO THE BULLDOSERS NOT LEVEL SOME CITY BLOCKS INN RESPONCE TO THE ROCKETS? WHY IS THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT IMPODENT? WE DID NOT SUVIVE THE CAMPS TO LIVE LIKE THIS EVERYDAY!
Carpet Bombing and Firestorms. Dresden: 40,000 Dead, Burned Alive and Suffocated. The Modern West Would Not Have Had The Spine To Win That War. Start Fighting like the people Who Defeated Our Last Enemies, before Our Next Enemies Get Their Chance. They attack, Retaliate as if You Were At War, Because They Are.
Israel survived SCUDs before. Israel is the only country that ever had these missile types modeled on the old German V-2 fired at it and did not respond with a war causing tens of thousands of deaths. If you fire a missile at another country, that country has the right to kill you along with anyone else who gets in the way. It does not matter whether the Arabs are good at killing Israelis or not. They are still engaging in acts of war and Israel has the right to Obliterate them. This is how wars are won. The inability of the Eunuchs of the modern west to understand this is why the modern west will be die to the last man, too weak and stupid to stem the invading hordes.
I suppose you don't mind, then, if 300 qassams would be forwarded toward the area around your house? afterall, they rarely cause bodily harm. and if, for instance, your house is hit, absolutely randomely, there is no need for panic.
I am sick of those people in Sderot complaining and making a mountain out of Fourth of July type rockets that rarely cause bodily harm or indeed severe damage. The Palestinians should send them a few scud missiles and really give them something to complain about. Maybe then they will learn to count their blessings instead of whining. Dutch
The next war Israel is involved in must be all or nothing. If the arabs hide behind their women and children,then they all must go. A war cannot be fought trying to pick out the bad guys from the civilians.It will be no bodys fault but theirs if there are a lot of civilian casualties,but the arabs are counting on Israel being "politically correct". Won't work. Once they understand the "new" rules,watch them back off. First,however,Israel needs some strong leaders..no more Peretz/Olmert/Livni types.
Cowardly leadership will destroy the most powerful army. "I am more afraid of an army of 100 sheep led by a lion than an army of 100 lions led by a sheep." Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Perigord (1754 - 1838). Israel's "leadership" (if you can call it that) is so pathetic it's doubtful Israel would survive a real war with real missiles.
twisted you , if you are Jewish. Your post is the worst thing I read. I mean Marilyn, Johnboy , the Dutch,all nut jobs, but you wow. I am proud to be Jewish and doubly proud of Israel.
The IDF should use earth.google.com (yes,it is that simple)
The new claim is Syria MIGHT go to war and Israel needs all its forces JUST IN CASE. (last time Syria went to war was 1973) Firstly, Hamas IS GOING TO WAR NOW and shelling Israels south for YEARS. Secondly, can Israel survive being able to handle only one front at a time in the heart of the Arab middle East? Are Hamas stronger than Egypt and Jordan were in 1967?! ;)
The Palestinians and the Lebanese are not fighting with armies. They are figthing with people hiding behind civilians. Thus Israel must attack with full force civilian areas that Israel is being attacked from. If innocent people die so be it. Until then Israel is wasting time and money in their shame of self-defense. The Arabs have no problems attacking innocent civilians. Thus Israel must play by the same rules to win any future war.
How come the IDF will not invade Gaza because they are getting ready for a war against Syria this summer? Can't Israel fight a two front war anymore? So I stand by what I say. If you have dual mnationality, I suggest you consider evacuating Israel. The alternative may be a lungful of chlorine gas.
Israel being the only state in the region which ALLOWS such public criticism of its military, government, etc. should not be mistakenly viewed as weaker because people are free to spout such inanity as you have on internet forums or even in the media. Rather, this is a sign of our profound strength, which only gets more powerful as internal criticism is accepted, dealt with and used to improve our military, government, etc. A political science perspective on Israel and the region would show this to be true.
Don't know what this has to do with the article, but I can assure you, Israel is always prepared to defend itself in case of war and has enough power to push back all ME armies, even if they all operate together against Israel.
is collapsing. Israel is on it's last legs. All that is needed is the killer blow probably from Iran. With Egypt joining in at the death.
What a cowardly bunch of feckless leadership Israel has today. Political science 101 basic social contract that modern states base governance upon relates that citizens give up certain rights and money to the state and in return (contract) they are bound to provide its citizens a protection of life, liberty and property. If a government does not make good its side of the contract then such a state has no moral right to govern!!!! If Israel's government will let 25,000 people run scared and refuse to proactively solve the solution then it is time for the people to find new ways other then the state to solve it!!! the government in such a scenario is seen by the people as ineffective, irrelevant and downright contemptible. Woe to a nation whom leaders have no love or duty to protect them, savage if need be!!!! Olmert MUST GO!!!!
Join the club. You are lucky you have kibbutzim around you... once they get hit, you will see how the whole country will come to their aid. I grew up in a kibbutz in the north. Kitushas fell in 1972, terror attacks, the 73 war... the whole country loved me. Then I moved to Tekoa. 6 years of near death daily - but now, I was a "settler" and who gives a damn...
One sees their point and so will Olmert. The pressure is on. The government should take this seriously as a Sderot solidarity movement that will count a lot more than 50 reservists could build up. This speaks to us Israelis. What is happening in Sderot also happened in places like Kiryat Shmona and could happen to us. The government now has to be seen to be allocating resources to Sderot big time in parallel with finding the creativity to explore ways other than well-tried and unsuccessful might, to solve the root causes of the Qassams. Not doing so creates a fertile space for the Gaydamaks and the Liebermans. Despite their pious pantomime, democracy is at the bottom of their list of priorities, just as socialism was at the bottom of the list of some of the 20th century's most damaging demagogues.
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Olmert and Defense Minister Peretz it has come down to this - 50 IDF reservists are beginning to believe that mutiny, and I do not use the term lightly, is the only recourse available to them to settle their grievances, i.e. safety of the their loved ones and protection of their homes. So what comes next? Well if recent history is any guide to the future actions of Mr. Olmert and Mr. Peretz, evacuate Ashkelon when it begins to get shelled.
Lt. Col. Haim Kuznitz and his co-signers of this protest letter are A HUNDRED PERCENT RIGHT. Somebody may argue that they can't take the law into their own hands with this protest letter of refusal to serve but it's about high time that the government gets off the pot and does something about that Qassam firing into Sderot. Enough turning the other cheek, what do we have a formidable Air Force for? Only for targeted killings ? PUT IT TO BETTER USE. They didn't do so in 2006 by flattening some of Bint-Jebil and saving the lives of lots of soldiers. Are they now waiting until we have serious civilian losses and than enter Gaza with another useless ground operation to have MORE MILITARY LOSSES? Prime Minister & Defense Minister, WAKE UP! ! ! BELIEVE ME , NO COUNTRY IN THE WORLD WOULD TAKE SOOO MUCH OF THIS QASSAM CRAP. Are you afraid to act because it may rock your cosy minister seat ? ? The world screams hell and murder at you anyway, might just as well give them a good reason.
They have a point but they should suggest a course of action.
I agree, how can they can they leave their loved ones in such a situation. Lets hope more people follow there example. If this was missiles falling in Tel Aviv im sure it would be a differnt story. the fact is the goverment is not providing security for these people. Mr Peretz instead of concerning himself in the primaries and the popularity contest has failed even hos own people from his home town.