By Laura Zuber
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East
SDEROT, Israel – Israeli army report that over 40 Qassam rockets were fired at Israel this weekend. One rocket seriously injured two Israeli brothers in Sderot. On February 9, Osher Twito, age 8, and his brother Rami, age 19, were injured as a volley of rockets were fired at Sderot. One of Osher’s legs was partially severed by the rocket and doctors had to amputate. He and his brother are now in stable condition.
On February 10, dozens of Sderot residents blocked a main road leading to Jerusalem. They brought a sound system and played the alert that is sounded prior to incoming rocket fire. They would play the alert and then lay down in the street as they would during a real rocket attack. After blocking some of the main roads into Jersulam, the demonstrators marched to the prime minister’s office. The demonstrators demanded the Israel take some sort of action. One Sderot resident stated “we came here to demonstrate because it is impossible to live this way.”
In addition to pressure from Sderot residents, Prime Minister Olmert is also facing pressure from Israeli politicians. Meir Sheetrit, Israel’s Interior Minister, said that Israel should pick a village in Gaza, give its residents one day to evacuate, and then completely destroy the village. Other ministers, such as ???, are pressuring Olmert to have the IDF target the political leaders in Gaza, such as ??? of Hamas.
In response, Olmert urges Israelis to remain calm and remains firm in his policy of economic sanctions and strikes targeting armed militants. He states that while outrage and anger are natural, they are not an operational plan. Instead, Olmert said that Israel must operate in a methodical and organized fashion. He claims that his government will continue “to go after all terror operatives, their handlers and their dispatchers.”
Vice Premier Haim Ramon told Army Radio some 200 militants have been killed in the past two months. However, Ramon also calls for more decisive action. Last week, Israel began to cut the amount of electricity that is sent to Gaza. Ramon states that if rockets are fired from Gaza “then there should be no electricity, or water or fuel. If they don’t fire, then there will be.”
While Olmert is being pressured by Israelis and his own government to react to the rocket threat from Gaza, he is also facing international pressure to avoid a humanitarian crisis inside Gaza. The sanctions and border closure have drawn criticism from the international community, stating that Israel is violating international law by collectively punishing the residents of Gaza.
Human Rights Watch stated that the cuts in fuel and electricity have a “grave impact on Gaza’s hospitals, water-pumping stations, sewage-treatment facilities, and other infrastructure essential for the well-being of Gaza’s population.” Joe Stork, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, said while the cuts aim to stop militants from firing rockets, “the cuts are seriously affecting civilians who have nothing to do with these armed groups.”
In addition, the US warns Israel against aggravating the situation. US Department of State spokesman, Tom Casey, stated “we understand Israel’s right to defend itself but we do not think that action should be taken that would infringe upon or worsen the humanitarian situation for the civilian population in Gaza.” UK Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, criticized the cut; he believes that “such action risks a further deterioration in the humanitarian situation in Gaza without improving the security situation.”
For more information, please see:
Times (London) – Israeli Fury Over Boy Maimed by Rocket – 11 February 2008
Associated Press – Israeli Boy, Brother Injured by Rockets – 10 February 2008
Associated Press – Olmert Resists Pressure to Invade Gaza – 10 February 2008
Associated Press – Timeline of Gaza’s Electricity Crisis – 10 February 2008
CNN – Israeli Boy Loses Leg in Rocket Attack – 10 February 2008
International Herald Tribune – Calls for Tough Action as More Rockets Hit Israel– 10 February 2008
Reuters – Olmert Vows to Target Those Behind Rocket Salvoes – 10 February 2008
Ha’aretz – Britain Criticizes Gaza Power Cuts – 9 February 2008
AFP – IsraelI Army Says 17 Rockets Fired From Gaza Strip – 8 February 2008
Human Rights Watch – Gaza: Israel’s Energy Cuts Violate Laws of War – 7 February 2008
