Rocket Trails

Israeli Prime Minister Olmert says that Israel will not tolerate rocket fire. Where has he been for the past three years? Israel has been hit by more than 3,000 rockets since the Gaza withdrawal. Hundreds have slammed into Israel and injured Israeli civilians in the weeks leading up to, and subsequent to, the Annapolis peace conference. It is nice, however, to see that Olmert is realizing that the situation in the south is a war of the Palestinians' intent.

The Palestinian terrorist groups, including Fatah's al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the PRC, and other spin off groups are continuing their ongoing rocket war against Israel.

The media seemingly only pays attention when Israel accidentally hits someone who isn't a terrorist. They write laudatory commentary about the death of a son of a terrorist - who was killed alongside more than a dozen of his father's terrorist minions, but gloss over the murder of an Ecuadorian volunteer who was murdered by a Palestinian sniper as he and a group of Israelis were trying to retrieve vehicles from a field after their kibbutz came under rocket and mortar fire. Gilad Shalit's father sent his condolences to Zahar over the death of his son. I would never expect to see Hamas do the same to an Israeli family whose child was killed by a Hamas thug or any terrorist. That's what separates the Israelis from the Palestinians. Israelis feel sorry for civilian casualties, while Hamas seeks to inflict as many civilian casualties as possible.

More than 15 rockets slammed into Sderot again, although Israel did manage to kill one of the leaders of Islamic Jihad along with his wife as they were driving.

Palestinian mouthpiece Saeb Erekat says that Israel's military actions in Gaza jeopardize the peace process. Let's just ignore all those rockets, shall we? Israel has been far too restrained in dealing with the terrorists in Gaza and the West Bank, and they've been far too complacent in understanding that negotiating with the terrorist groups while under fire will be mistaken for weakness and exploited. That's exactly what the Palestinians have been doing for years, and yet Olmert and other Israeli leaders have sought out negotiations with the terrorist groups despite the fact that they have yet to fulfill their obligations under Olso.

If and when these latest overtures of a peace process fail, fault should rest firmly with the Palestinians and the terrorist groups, but the media and the diplomats will spin this as Israel's fault, just as they usually do.

The media, and most certainly the Palestinians, will latch onto reports such as this, claiming that Israel is engaging in ethnic cleansing. Last time I checked, the only group excluded from living in Gaza is Jews. Israelis were forcibly removed from Gaza in 2005, and since then, the Palestinian terrorists have waged war against Israel, hoping to rid the region of Israelis.

UPDATE:
Israellycool has been liveblogging the situation over the past few days, and today is no exception.

Abbas is now threatening to resign if Israel doesn't stop with the escalations. Right. You go ahead and do that as if it's going to make any difference to the ongoing terrorism which you conveniently ignore when declaring that Israel is escalating the situation. Abbas would much rather Israel sit back and absorb all the rockets, mortars, and casualties, and thank the Palestinians for all that and more by giving up Israel's right to exist and dominion over Jerusalem and Israeli territory in general. Nowhere in his diatribe does he mention the rockets or mortars, which is the reason Israel is operating in Gaza in the first place.

Abbas is using this threat to not only puff up his feeble resume among Palestinians who have flocked to Hamas in the past, but to try and get the US to put pressure on Israel to stop going after Hamas. No matter how you slice and dice it, this is bad news for Israel and it once again points out how Abbas is no partner in peace.

UPDATE:
Elder of Ziyon has compiled a running tab of kassam rockets fired at Israel. Keep in mind that this is far from a complete list, and that each rocket attack is indicative of Palestinian terrorist intent to kill, maim, or injure Israelis and/or knock out Israeli infrastructure, including power grid.

UPDATE:
Sheik Yermami notes that 103 rockets have fallen in the last 36 hours alone.

UPDATE:
Israel has locked down Gaza. Well, that's been a long time in coming.

Late Thursday night, Defence Minister Ehud Barak ordered the closure of all border crossings between Israel and Gaza.

In announcing the measure, a ministry official said it would remain in effect for several days and would affect both commercial traffic and individual travelers. He added that, in the meanwhile, crossings would be authorised to respond to "exceptional humanitarian needs."

Expect the usual suspects to complain that Israel is engaging in collective punishment for the ongoing attacks against Israel, ignoring that the terrorists have repeatedly used those same border crossings and humanitarian aid shipments to smuggle in arms and weapons. Israel continues to provide its enemies with power, water, and food.