What to Do?

After numerous mortar attacks on Israeli cities, people are starting to get concerned. Rockets are landing very near to sites which contain vital things, such as fuel and power. This, however, hasn't stopped the Palestinians from bombing those sites. Earlier this week the Israelis said that they would cut power to Palestinian villages in response to the attacks, but refrained from doing so when they realized that Palestinian hospitals don't have their own generators (which is a question in itself, but not for now). Why are the Israelis so concerned about that? Are their enemies concerned with the Israeli infrastructure?

"Now that Israeli settlements have been removed from northern Gaza, militants can bring their rockets closer to the border fence, bringing the Ashkelon area into range." Duh! Isn't that what people have been saying all along? Wasn't that one of the many reasons people opposed Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's unilateral disengagement plan? He said the disengagement would bring peace while others rightfully claimed that it would bring more terror by showing that Israel acquiesced to the terrorists and it will be a dangerous border closer to more Israeli cities, such as Ashkelon.

But now will be different according to the Israeli government. "'Certainly if the rocket fire on Ashkelon does not stop, there will be a very fierce response, and no option can be ruled out, including a ground operation,' said Vice Premier Ehud Olmert in an interview with Israel TV." Can we trust the Israeli government that this time they really mean what they're saying? How do we know that they won't decide to expel the Israelis living in Ashkelon and give the city over the terrorists, just as they have done in the Gaza strip? Not too long ago they said a ground operation was out of the question, they would not put Israeli soldiers back into Gaza. What happened now that they are saying that perhaps a ground operation may be needed? Can it be that their plans didn't work out the way they wanted it to? Did they honestly believe that it would?

"In an initial response to the rocket fire. Israel fired artillery at the empty fields used as rocket launching sites, and a Palestinian died in disputed circumstances. The family of Abraham Naana, 21, said he was killed by shrapnel from the shelling. The army said the area was empty during the artillery barrage." Is this the "fierce response" Olmert had in mind? How is bombing empty fields going to stop the rocket attacks? Did the ground launch rockets or were there terrorists there that launched the rockets? Even if their launching sites were to be totally demolished by bombings, it wouldn't be too hard to find a new site to bomb from. The only way to put an end to these shellings is by eliminating the power behind those rockets - the terrorists themselves. Mr. Olmert, that is a response, but you have promised a "fierce response." Let's see it now before innocent lives are lost.