"Zewa Adom"

Hamas Terrorist


B"H

Many other blogs like to quote all kinds of sources from the international press. Usually I don't do this, as I expect people to read the latest news by themselves. Thus, I rather concentrate on opinions, even if I sometimes may sound very emotional. In Israel we don't use the term "emotional" in that particular sense; we say "Israeli".

The Israeli government has started its "Hasbara - Explanation" war. Most of the time, the Palestinians have a far better public relation than any Israeli ministry. Now our government has called all bloggers to join the Hasbara and explain people from abroad why Israel does react in a certain way and not in another way.

For more than six years, the Hamas has been shooting Kassam rockets from Gaza onto Israeli territory. And, as usual, the foreign press didn't really care about it too much. A picture of a Palestinian child crying about whatever attracts the world attention more than a Jewish child being hit by a Kassam rocket and loosing his leg, as the eight - year - old Osher Tvito from Sderot a few months ago.

For years, people abroad hadn't cared too much if the Negect town of Sderot was attacked several times a day. And, to my one disgrace, not even we Jerusalemites or Tel Avivim didn't pay too much attention to the suffering of the people in the Negev. Of course, we heard the daily news announcement, but haven't we all got used to it ?

The international media only reacts as soon as Israel strikes back. Then we see all the crying Palestinian children even if some pictures are Photoshop fakes. But who cares ? The Palestinian propaganda machinery knows how to get the world's attention and now we are facing the same kind of reaction. The UN already told Israel to stop its attacks on Gaza. The only question is: Where was the UN criticism when the Negev was hit by Kassam rockets ?

No other country in the world would take daily rocket attacks with so much patience than Israel. Well, we don't really call it "patience" but stupidity of our present government.

Sderot is a small town not too far away from the Gaza Strip. Its inhabitants are mostly Sephardi working class Jews. One may think that, after all those years, the inhabitants got used to the almost daily rocket alarm. This opinion is a mistake, as people are as frightened as in the past.
As soon as the alarm "Zewa Adom - Colour Red" is heard, people just run looking for shelter. After you hear the alarm, you have got 15 seconds saving your life. Within those seconds you need to find a save place but what is a save place. Not everywhere you are walking is a bomb shelter available.

"Zewa Adom" is not a normal sirene alarm but a voice coming out of the loudspeakers saying "Zewa Adom". Someone from Sderot once told me that this voice influences the people of Sderot in a more peaceful way than a loud sirene causing panic.

Once you hear "Zewa Adom", you run and then wait where the Kassam rocket is falling. If you are lucky, it goes down in the desert, if not, well, it may be a house, a school, a street or a car. No one knows where it is going to hit.





Sderot is even lucky, as it has a "Zewa Adom" and bomb shelters. Other towns like Ashkelon, Ashdod or Netivot are much more behind. There were rocket attacks in Ashkelon and no "Zewa Adom" sound when the Kassam his a crowded shopping mall.
Can you imagine, you are sitting and enjoying your cup of coffee and suddenly a rocket strikes the home next to yours or your own home ? Suddenly but somehow expected.

In which country do we live ? Some Palestinians shoot at us and we have to suffer ? Where is our government where our strong army ? These are the questions the inhabitants of Sderot have been asking themselves over the past years. Politicians usually visit some developement towns during election campaigns but otherwise ? While we are anjoying our coffee in Tel Aviv, Sderot has been constantly under attack.

Then the Israeli government and the Hamas made a deal about a mutual cease fire. It worked more or less. According the the BBC, the Palestinians kept the cease fire even if they shot two or three Kassam rockets onto Israeli territory. After the cease fire started, the people in the Negev were able to go out to work. Kids could go back to school. Almost business as usual.
Almost because now the cease fire has ended and the Hamas had no interest whatsoever in extending it. On the contrary, they started shooting 60 or 40 rockets a day on the Negev towns and even extended their missile range. Proudly they announced that they are finally able to hit Beersheva, Yavne and Gedera.

Now, Sderot is back to the "Zewa Adom" reality and running 15 seconds for shelter. The Hamas loves to provoke, as they know that, as soon as Israel strikes back, the world will be with the Palestinians and even with Hamas. Just show some sad pictures of crying Palestinian children or women on the late - night - news and the success is yours. Who cares about the Jews and Israel ?

The BBC claims that Israel is only striking back because of its election campaign. In February, we are electing a new Knesset and a new (hopefully not the old one) prime minister. Actually there is some truth in this irony, as Zipi Livni from the left - wing Kadima party needs votes. Opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu is far ahead of her and may be the next prime minister. At least according to certain polls.

But the coming up elections are not THE reason for attacking Gaza and its Terror Hamas. Especially when you are taking the fate of the kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit into consideration. The Hamas could decide to kill Shalit any day if the war continues.
However, the real reason is that we are all fed up with the situation and sick of Kassam rockets endangering our all lives. Who can live like that ? And now on Chanukkah we Jews should become aware of our real powers. Of the powers of our forefathers, the Maccabim, King David, etc.

Israel should talk to Hamas ! Israel's left wingers protested in Tel Aviv and some got arrested. Where have all those protesters been when Sderot was bombed and Osher Tvito lost his leg ?

The Hamas asked all Israeli Palestinians to join the fight against the Jews ("Yahud", as they say in Arabic). Last Shabbat, tens of Palestinians got arrested in Jerusalem throwing stones at the israeli border police (Mishmar HaGvul). But also in other places Palestinian demonstrations against the Israeli strike took place. On Shabbat, the Moslem Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem was closed for any Jews. The army set up checkpoints and didn't want to take any risk.

Everyone seems to wait for the Israeli ground forces marching into Gaza. So far, only air strikes have been taking place and Israeli is acting rather carefully. The government wants to show that it has learned from its mistakes during the last Lebanon war. Whatever that means ...

6700 reserve soldiers are about to be drafted and the Israeli population is expecting a victory. Where is all our strength from the past ? Are there any new heros just like in the Six - Day - War in 1967 ? Where have the heros and charismatic people gone ?Hopefully Olmert and Livni won't give in this time. If they do so, the majority of the Israeli population would not forgive them. It is us who have to deal with our security and our land and not the US, Europe or the UN. Those countries or organizations don't belong here but us, the people who actually live in Israel.

Those are the facts and there is not much to explain, as everything should be very obvious.



A Kassam rocket his a house in Sderot last week.


Hamas - Trainings Camp in Gaza







These and further pictures can be viewed here: Rotter.net