We've been in this movie before.
Showing posts with label Sderot. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sderot. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Forecast For Israel: Rocket Showers UPDATE
Islamic Jihad was a little peeve when Israel killed 3 of its members the other day. So today they decided to retaliate.
Terrorists in the Gaza Strip have battered towns and villages in southern Israel with at least 50 rockets, in the largest-scale attack since the 2012 Pillar of Defense counter terrorism operation.Poor Islamic Jihad. First they lose their cargo from Iran, then 3 of their members will killed. And they think that by firing rockets will stop the Israelis? No what this does is to destroy the so-called truce between Israel and Gaza.
IDF Radio is reporting that between 50 and 55 rockets have landed in Israel so far, after initial reports put the number at closer to 25. Of those, at least five were launched at Sderot; the Iron Dome has stopped some of them from making an impact on Israeli soil, according to the latest updates.
No injuries have been reported.
The Islamic Jihad terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the attack, in response to IAF airstrikes in Gaza on Tuesday, which killed three Islamic Jihad terrorists. Those airstrikes were themselves a response to an attempted mortar attack on IDF forces by the terrorist squad.
"The Al-Quds Brigades responded to [Israeli] aggression with a volley of rockets," read a statement released by the Iranian-backed group.
At least of one of the communities near Gaza has reported damage from the rocket fire, according to the latest news reports, though it has not been confirmed which one.
Residents are being advised to stay in protective shelters until further updates warrant; the Israeli Police has raised the alert level throughout the Negev in response to the rocket fire.
IAF helicopters are patrolling the skies near Gaza now, as "security forces and the IDF are weighing the appropriate response," according to Walla! News.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu reacted to the attack by pledging a "forceful" response against those responsible.
"This seems to be in response to our counter terrorism efforts yesterday," Netanyahu declared, according to Channel 2. "We will continue to strike those who want to harm us, we'll act against them very forcefully."
The attack comes a day after the Israeli navy revealed the contents of the Klos C weapons ship, intercepted on its way to Gaza by Israeli commandos.
Evidence seems to suggest the ship was sent by Iran, and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told reporters the contents - including nearly 200 mortar shells and dozens of Iranian-made medium-range rockets - underlined how the Islamic Republic was directly aiding Gaza-based terrorists to target Israeli civilians.
The deadly cargo was reported intended primarily for Islamic Jihad.
The rocket fire also comes less than an hour after Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron addressed the Israeli Knesset, and voiced his support for ongoing peace efforts between Israel and the PA.
SOURCE
Prime Minister Netanyahu has already vowed to "Move Forcefully" against rocket fire. I suggest that he does more. That he finally takes out all of Hamas and Islamic Jihad once and for all time.
UPDATE:
The amount of rockets fired is now over 100. These rockets are being fired from civilian areas, normally schools, hospitals and homes.
If the Arabs want a war, they are going about the right way to start one!
Monday, November 12, 2012
Trauma Town
For the last 4 days over 100 rockets have fallen on the town of Sderot, Israel and Southern Israel. With no end in sight the people of the region have had enough and demand the government to finally put an end to the bombardment.
IAF aircraft struck a terror tunnel and a weapons storage site in northern Gaza, as well as a rocket launching site in southern Gaza on Sunday night.
According to a statement by the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, direct hits at the targets were identified. All Israeli aircraft safely returned to their bases.IAF aircraft struck a terror tunnel and a weapons storage site in northern Gaza, as well as a rocket launching site in southern Gaza on Sunday night.
According to a statement by the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, direct hits at the targets were identified. All Israeli aircraft safely returned to their bases.
"The IDF will not tolerate any attempt to harm Israeli citizens and IDF soldiers and will continue to operate against anyone who uses terror against the State of Israel,” said the IDF statement, noting that Gaza’s Hamas terrorist rulers are responsible for the ongoing terror attacks on southern Israel.
The airstrikes came in retaliation for the continuing rocket fire on southern Israel. More than 100 rockets were fired at Israel by Gaza terrorists on Saturday and Sunday. A direct strike on a home in Sderot was reported after 7:30 p.m. Sunday evening. Thankfully, no one was physically injured despite the direct hit.
Many of the rockets fired Sunday were timed for the end of the school day, in order to try and kill or maim children.
While schools in Gan Yavne and the Gaza belt were closed on Sunday, local authorities decided on Sunday night that all educational institutions will reopen on Monday.
Source
The people of the area cope any which way they can. Parents cradle their children, fire and rescue prepare to search for survivors, a bride runs for safety while preparing for her wedding.
The latest bombardment on Sderot and surrounding Gaza Belt areas from Hamas-controlled Gaza has finally woken up foreign media, possibly a sign that Israel can deliver a powerful military message to Hamas without the usual one-sided media condemnation.For some reason this feels like we've been down this road before. Oh yes! In 2008. Israel conducted Operation Cast Lead. And was stopped just right before Obama's Inauguration. That is so not to have thousands of
The firing of more than 150 rockets, missiles and mortar shells in the past four days has brought out the same tepid military response and the same political promises to punish Hamas that Western Negev residents have heard since the beginning of the attacks 12 years ago.
"For 12 years, we've been living with the threat of rockets. This has to stop," Sderot Mayor David Bouskila told AFP Sunday. He has said the same thing dozens of times, but usually to Israeli media.
Although AFP still refers to terrorists as “militants,” the tone of its report is far different from previous articles by it and other foreign news agencies, who usually do not hesitate to lead readers to believe that Israeli retaliation and the alleged “siege” on Gaza are the reasons for rocket firing on Israeli civilians.
This time, instead of focusing on Hamas spokesmen’s stories, usually fabricated, of Israeli attacks on the elderly, mental retarded children and pregnant women, AFP delved into the day-to-day trauma that Sderot’s 20,000 residents have suffered for more than a decade.
“The missiles cause relatively few casualties, but leave more than a million Israelis in the line of fire, with the permanent weight of the next round of violence on their shoulders,” the French-based news agency reported.
“Each siren that sounds gives residents just 15 seconds to find a way to the nearest shelter. For some, it isn't enough time, and they are left to seek shelter where they can.”
It quoted a café owner in Sderot, who said, "I'm used to the [rocket] fire, but this morning when I had to lie on top of my seven-year-old daughter to protect her during an alert, I felt fear and I can't take a little girl trembling on her way to school.
” Kinneret Matok, 24, told the news agency that she was in a hair salon on Sunday prior to her wedding, but a siren warning of an incoming rocket forced her to flee for a bomb shelter.
"Bibi, what are you doing? Why does a young woman have to run to the shelters on her wedding day?" salon-owner Karin Radetsky asked. "I hope it will calm down and that the 500 people invited will be able to make it, but above all that we won't be forced to delay the party," she said.
As usual after a bombardment, the IDF attacked a terrorist tunnel, weapons storage site and a terrorist tunnel, although there are hundreds if not thousands of them in Gaza.
Politicians went through the same routine of saying that Israel must stop the terror.
Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch visited Sderot "to express... support but also to send a clear message to terrorists: They will pay a heavy price!"
Mayor Bouskila has heard the message hundreds of times and replied, "These comments are not enough, we need actions. It's shameful for the state of Israel that the lives of its citizens are dictated by terrorists.”
Source
Yes Mama, they stopped too early and Southern Israel has paid the price. But the patience of the nation is coming to an end. But will it end before or after a child or children are maimed or killed. I pray it will be before a child's death.
At times like this the Sderot Media Center springs to action. Offering help, hope and an outlet to the media its job is tireless. But it cannot run without funds. A few dollars their way helps thousands in the region. And in these trying times any little bit helps. For more information on donating to help the people of Sderot and Southern Israel just click here.
And remember to keep the people of Israel in your prayers. Pray that the government finds the courage to stop the attacks permanently!
Do it for the Children!
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Raindrops Keep Falling On Our Heads!
No it is not a weather report, it is a rocket report set to music.
Since last night, 77 rockets and mortars have been shot into Israeli territory from Gaza. Israel has been under constant rocket fire for over a decade.
And yet as the rockets fall Israelis can find humor in the situation.
80 Rockets, Shells Fired From Gaza And The World Is Silent On The Barrage!
Why not? After all the victims are Jews not Arabs. After all to the UN, the Lame Stream Media, the State Department, only Arabs can be victims. Jews are never to be considered victims no matter how many rockets are fired, how many babies are murdered.
New salvos hit the south Wednesday afternoon; school canceled for the day; residents ordered to stay close to ‘secure rooms’; three foreign workers hurt in morning hit on chicken coop.I wonder if France would be as accommodating if it were their cities being bombed, their people being killed. Oops, I forgot, they were when Germans were doing it.
Palestinian terrorists in Gaza continued their rocket assault on Israel Wednesday afternoon after a three-hour pause in the attacks, which have seen dozens of missiles target the south in the past two days. More than 80 rockets and shells had been fired into Israel Wednesday by late afternoon.
Israeli leaders warned of a much intensified military response if the attacks continued. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke of “a more extensive” response. Education Minister Gideon Sa’ar said the army was ready for “a far, far greater and wider response.” Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman said Israel would not maintain its restraint for many more days, and that Israel was “facing a serious escalation.”
A salvo of eight rockets fell on Hof Ashkelon just after midday, shattering the quiet that had descended for a few hours after a series of rocket attacks in the morning. Another two projectiles were fired at the Hevel Eshkol area. In late afternoon, another missile strike was recorded. There were no reports of injury or damage in the latest attacks.
Three foreign workers were injured, two of them seriously, in Wednesday morning attacks when a rocket hit the chicken coop they were working in, and several houses were damaged by other missiles. At least two other people were reported lightly injured in the strikes. Some of those hurt in the attacks were flown by helicopter to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba.
School was cancelled in areas close to Gaza on Wednesday, and residents were told to remain within 15 seconds of “secure rooms” in case of further attacks.
Netanyahu, on a tour of the Iron Dome missile defense facility near the coastal town of Ashkelon, said, “It was not Israel that initiated this escalation, but if it goes on we are prepared to take far more extensive action.” Those who fire on Israel, he said, should know that “they have sealed their own fate.”
He also promised to fortify every building in communities 4.5 to 7 kilometers from the Strip, where until now only educational facilities had been protected.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak, speaking to Army Radio, said, “There are about 1,700 households that need fortification, but that said, the situation was a lot more difficult in the past because there was no Iron Dome.”
On Wednesday morning, Iron Dome intercepted seven Grads fired at Ashkelon. In the afternoon the system stopped another missile fired at the city.
France sharply condemned the rocket fire on Israel, urging restraint from both sides.
Since Tuesday afternoon Palestinian terror groups in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip have fired dozens of rockets and mortar shells at southern Israel. The incoming missiles were a mix of Gaza-produced Kassam missiles and military-grade Grad rockets that have a longer range and larger warhead.
The IDF has responded to the barrages by targeting terror cells and Hamas installations in the Gaza Strip. Three Palestinians were killed in overnight airstrikes.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz called a meeting Tuesday to assess the situation and toured some of the sites that were hit in attacks.
Barak said he could not rule out a ground invasion if fire continued. “If we need a ground operation there will be a ground operation. We will do whatever necessary to stop this wave” of violence, he told Army Radio on Wednesday.
“It’s important for the government to think before it decides. This move will bring escalation and not peace — there is no way to reconcile with the terror from Gaza. We are considering everything we need and examining everything. If there will be no choice and the fire continues, they will be struck hard, nothing is impossible,” he said.
Liberman said Israel was facing “a serious escalation” in the south. Speaking before a meeting with visiting EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, he said the situation was “unacceptable” and that Israel would “not suffer” the ongoing rocket fire for much longer.
Source
I also wonder how long will Israel go until they send in ground troops to finish the job they started in Operation Cast Lead. An operation they stopped to be nice to Barack Hussein Obama and not have riots at his inauguration. Bad move.
Pray for the people of Israel under constant barrage from Gaza. And if you can, throw a few dollars, Euros, etc... to the people of the Sderot Media Center. Serving the people of Sderot and Southern Israel for over a decade. Just click here.
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Olympic Runners Would Die!
Stolen From A Soldier's Mother
What an amazing concept - the fastest men in the world...wouldn't reach safety if they found themselves just 200 meters away from a shelter during a Color Red alarm in Sderot. Fifteen seconds of warning...that's all the residents there have.
I wonder if anyone in the Olympics has thought of this comparison - one that people in Israel's south live with every day. Thank you to the IDF for the above thought...it is a chilling one.
I cannot run 200 meters in under 20 seconds and neither can any residents in Sderot. 15 Seconds is all you have to get to safety. The rockets still fall, every day they fall and the world media is silent about this.
What an amazing concept - the fastest men in the world...wouldn't reach safety if they found themselves just 200 meters away from a shelter during a Color Red alarm in Sderot. Fifteen seconds of warning...that's all the residents there have.
I wonder if anyone in the Olympics has thought of this comparison - one that people in Israel's south live with every day. Thank you to the IDF for the above thought...it is a chilling one.
I cannot run 200 meters in under 20 seconds and neither can any residents in Sderot. 15 Seconds is all you have to get to safety. The rockets still fall, every day they fall and the world media is silent about this.
Monday, March 12, 2012
160 Missiles And Counting
Every day 5 to 10 Missiles are fired from Gaza into Israel. This daily attack has been on going for over 10 years. But this last weekend over 160 Missiles have been fired into Israel with 8 wounded.
Now the MSM and the Moonbat left will exclaim: "But they only hurt 8 and most don't do any damage." But I ask them: What would you do if Southern Israel was Southern Texas? Would you not demand the US government to stop the attacks? Would you side with those who fire the rockets into civilian areas and only civilian areas? The MSM and the Moonbat left side with those who fire the rockets and call for the death of the civilians under attack.
The condemning of Israel and Israelis by these groups is nothing less than modern day anti-Semitism. It is permissible to call for the death of all Jews and not be shunned. In fact the left will put you on a pedestal instead.'
And yet, the people of Southern Israel have suffered for years under daily attacks from Gaza.
When Israel gave up Gaza in 2005 they were PROMISED that there would be peace. From that day till now the rockets and missiles have fallen. Yet Obama is demanding that Israel give up Jerusalem. How long do you think that rockets and missiles will fall from there?
Pray for the Nation and people of Israel. Please help the people of Israel. If you can a few dollars to The American Friends of the Magen David Adom (Israeli Red Star of David) will help all the people in the Southern Israel. Just click here.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
From Sderot To The Main Stream Media
For 10 years the men, women and children of Sderot and the Western Negev have lived with almost daily rocket fire from Gaza. Yet if you watch or read the
The truth is the opposite.
Noam Bedein, Director of The Sderot Media Center, has issued a call to mainstream media from the citizens of Sderot.
This is his letter:
Sderot Call on the Mainstream Media:
We ask you respectfully to change the way you report the continued rocket fire on Israel from Gaza.
The latest statistics from Natal, the organization dealing with post-traumatic stress, show that 70% of the children of Sderot suffer from symptoms of post-traumatic stress two and a half years after the Cast Lead Operation and a full third of Sderot’s residents feel constant post-traumatic anxiety.
Seven rockets, missiles and mortars have been launched from Gaza towards the western Negev’s communities over the last few days.
The disproportional coverage of these rocket launchings and explosions is found in a dry, terse report on mainstream media that takes a few seconds of news time. The issue is barely mentioned by the msm, who state (luckily so far) only that there were no injuries and no damage to property. That is not really the case, as anyone who lives in constant dread of the next missile knows well.
We at the Sderot Media Center urge you to emphasize these strikes more emphatically, to describe them as illegitimate and criminal examples of warfare against innocent civilians. Otherwise, what the media are aiding unintentionally is tacit acceptance of Islamic extremist terror against innocent civilians.
We ask that you change your reports to the following:
1.If there are no injuries, it is important to stress that there were no physical injuries reported.There surely are mental injuries, even though we will not let the terrorists change our lives.
2. It is crucial to mention each time how many rockets have been launched against Israel since the last ceasefire of January 18, 2009.
As of today July 15th 2011, there have been 788 rocket launchings from Gaza aimed at the southern residents of Israel. This has to be brought home again and again so the world will know.
We have decided to write this open letter to all the mainstream media and ask for a change in awareness of the significance and after-effects of this constant bombardment of people trying to live normal lives in an area that has never been disputed even by the UN, that is, unless the very existence of the State of Israel is in dispute.
Noam Bedein
This is the terror that the citizens of Sderot live under.
Rockets specifically targeting Israeli civilians. The world buries its head in the sand while Israeli Children are maimed and die. They don't care. They only care, they only scream, they only act when Israel strikes back in retaliation. The people of Sderot know the world doesn't care. They know that the Media has a decidedly anti-Israel, anti-Semitic viewpoint.
And although times are tough, if you can find a few extra dollars would you send them to the Sderot Media Center? The few dollars you send go a long way. They go to help the children of Sderot with a bombproof, indoor playground, psychiatric counseling, and is the lone voice for the people of Sderot. It only takes a few minutes, just click here.
Tell the Children of Sderot you care!
Friday, July 15, 2011
Sderot Residents Getting Even Legal Style
For over a decade the residents of the city of Sderot (population 20,700) have endured rocket and missile attacks on an almost daily basis. In fact, Sderot has been given title: "The Most Shelled City in the World"!
And for years these residents had no legal recourse to stop or punish the terrorist who attacked them. The victims of terror groups (Especially those receiving funds from banking institutions.) They now have a resource to hit back. The US Courts.
While the citizens of Sderot cannot sue Hamas directly (Although it would be interesting to see if they could in International Court.), they can sue the banks, lending institutions, and "charities" that "donate" to Hamas and other terror groups in the name of Humanitarian Aid.
The citizens of Sderot have served papers on the Bank of China.
The New York Supreme Court has issued a landmark ruling stating that Israeli victims of terrorist attacks from Gaza may proceed with a lawsuit against the Bank of China (BOC), which transferred cash to Gaza terrorist groups. The ruling was a victory for the Israel Law Center and its clients, victims of terrorism and their families.If successful then other institutions will then be targeted. If one cannot destroy the terrorists on the ground, then we will cut off their funding. If they cannot buy weapons and the materials necessary to attack and destroy their neighbors, if they cannot fund their programs of hate, if they cannot reward the families of terrorists with huge cash sums, they just might go out of business. It is a hope.
Prosecutors say the BOC allowed Gaza terrorists to conduct wire transfers of several million dollars, beginning in 2003. The dollar transfers began with terrorist leaders in Iran and Syria, were processed by BOC branches in the United States. From there they were sent to accounts in Beijing, and from there funds were transferred to Gaza, Judea and Samaria.
The money was then used to fund terrorist attacks. Among those attacks were a suicide bombing in Eilat in 2007 that murdered three people and rocket attacks on the city of Sderot, in which several were murdered and many others left with life-long wounds.
Cash transfers continued despite requests from Israeli counter-terrorism officials, who demanded in early 2005 that China take action to stop the BOC from sending cash to Hamas and Islamic Jihad. The transfers continued until 2007.
More than 80 victims of attacks and their families are seeking both compensation and punitive damages. Their case was put forth by the Israel Law Center's Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, working alongside New York attorney Robert Tolchin.
The BOC had argued that the case was frivolous and that the BOC was not responsible for Hamas' actions. The defense later argued that if the case was allowed to go ahead, it should continue in China under Chinese law.
The court not only allowed the case to proceed, but said it can continue in New York. The BOC's decision not to seek a move to Chinese courts in a second case indicates that the bank will not find it unduly hard to continue with the trial in the United States, justices said.
A preliminary conference prior to the discovery stage of the trial was set for September 14.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
A Study The Main Stream Media Will NEVER Show You
In a study by Natal, a trauma center for the victims of war and terror, it was discovered that 70% of the kids residing in the town that has been on the receiving end of thousands of rockets in recent years are suffering from at least one symptom of posttraumatic stress. A third of all Sderot's residents suffer from anxiety, and have trouble functioning normally.
Among children this comes in the form of PTSD and Depression.
Shaked and Maor Harush, 11-year-old twins from Sderot, saw a Qassam rocket explode a few feet away for them, setting a car ablaze. Since then, fear has become an everyday presence in their lives.What the
Shaked suffers from the worst of the trauma. She refuses to leave home without her parents. A slamming door makes her jump. Any conversation about the security situation is out of the question when Shaked is around, and her family knows to avoid words like Qassam and Color Red altogether.
Shaked's young cousin, who lives in the center of the country, was not aware of this little detail. While the two were playing in the yard recently, he yelled out "Color Red, Color Red," sending Shaked running into the house. She locked herself in her room and could not stop crying.
"Her cousin didn't think of it, he didn't know, but Shaked took it hard," her father said. "She is in bad shape. She suffers from anxiety all the time."
Shaked is not alone.
Qassam damage in Sderot in April (Photo: Ze'ev Trachtman)
Maor Harush is doing better than his sister; he speaks about his anxieties. Shaked never does. She has been in therapy for three years, but it hasn't helped – the situation only seems to be getting worse.
"We can't laugh about the situation, we can't talk about it," the twins' father said. "Most of the time she's at home, watching television. The television is her connection to the outside world."
She doesn't visit her friends, her father said, and her school work has slipped; she suffers from attention disorders.
According to the Natal report, 50% of Sderot's kids relive the trauma, and 41% suffer from over-excitation – they are constantly alert, ready for danger, and every little noise shakes them up. Twenty percent of the kids suffer from all the symptoms of posttraumatic stress, and 12% have severe trouble functioning.
"They stop playing, stop being interested in their surroundings, detach themselves from their friends and school," explained Professor Marc Gelkopf, who heads the Natal research team. "One of our newest and most interesting findings is that there is a connection between the symptoms that the parents experience and the ones their children experience. It underlines the importance of family therapy."
Rocket destroys house in Sderot, 2006 (Photo: Amir Cohen)
The study, which followed 518 adult and 570 kids, showed that one in three residents suffers from the disorder, and that one in seven is having trouble functioning due to anxiety.
"When we're talking about people suffering from posttraumatic stress, we're talking about people who wake up in the middle of the night because of nightmares," Gelkopf said. "People who are over alert… who are afraid to go far from their fortified rooms or visit places that remind them of the danger."
Despite the recent calm, Natal has found that nearly 30% of the residents feel threatened. Another 23% take anti-depression or anxiety drugs, or use sleeping pills.
Esther Itiel, 56, has been living in Sderot for 30 years. She is another victim of posttraumatic stress.
"Life in this town was beautiful before the Qassam fire started," she said. "Since then, there hasn't been one night when we could sleep normally. All aspects of life have been disrupted.
"I managed to survive somehow for years, but when a Qassam fell a few meters near my house, I broke down," she said. "I took my daughters and moved to Givat Shmuel, leaving my husband and three other kids behind in Sderot."
In the central town of Givat Shmuel, Itiel received therapy from Natal and the municipality, and graudally managed to regain some of her former self. She agreed to return to Sderot after a shelter was built in her house. Back at home, anxiety hit again.
Qassam hits building in Sderot, 2010 (Photo: Ze'ev Trachtman)
"Any noise from an ambulance, bus or plane makes me jump and triggers the anxiety," she said. "I can't listen to the news, this whole story about the fly-in made me anxious. I'm not happy, I don't laugh, I don't joke. I'm not the mother I used to be."
These days, Itiel rarely leaves home. Sleep evades her. She showers only when there is someone else at home with her – and even then, she does it quickly.
"I'm afraid that it will be like it was during the Qassam fire period," she said. "Then, when the Color Red alarm went off while I was in the shower, I would run to the shelter without clothes on. About a month ago, the alarm went off again. I heard planes flying by and I fainted. They had to take me to the hospital."
Some 6,400 people who are suffering from posttraumatic stress are treated at the municipal mental health center in Sderot. Some 3,500 kids and 500 teachers and staff members get psychological treatment through the town's school system. The Resilience Center, which provides counseling, treats 400 people each year, most of them children and teenagers – and the waiting list for treatment is growing.
"Especially during times of calm, people start feeling the tumult on the inside," said Hila Barzilay, who runs the Resilience Center. "(…) We get kids with serious motor function disorders, kids who weren't allowed to play outside in groups for years. Many residents' relationships have suffered. The situation causes critical damage to all aspects of their lives.
Full Story
Abba Eban
Borders that are impossible to defend the nation. With the deliberate separation into 2 halves of Jerusalem, the Arabs will gain everything they want without giving up any of Israel's demands."We have openly said that the map will never again be the same as on June 4, 1967. For us, this is a matter of security and of principles. The June map is for us equivalent to insecurity and danger. I do not exaggerate when I say that it has for us something of a memory of Auschwitz. We shudder when we think of what would have awaited us in the circumstances of June, 1967, if we had been defeated; with Syrians on the mountain and we in the valley, with the Jordanian army in sight of the sea, with the Egyptians who hold our throat in their hands in Gaza. This is a situation which will never be repeated in history."
- Abba Eban, Israeli Statesman, in Der Spiegel, November 5, 1969
The children of Sderot have only the people of Israel to help them. But that can change. Will you help them? Just a few dollars will give a child the psychiatric help he or she needs. The Sderot Media Center helps hundreds of the residents of Sderot and the Western Negev each day. From their newly opened "Ella Center" that helps the children with their studies in the sciences to the only indoor playground, the first concern of the Sderot Media is the safety of the children of Sderot. Their mission statement tells it all:
The Sderot Media Center mission is to provide Israeli and international news media with on-site film footage and reporting of the kassam rocket attacks and their psychological effects upon Sderot residents. In doing so, we hope to spur international and local involvement with the community of Sderot, both on a financial and social scale, in order to help out the residents of this war-zone region.
Other goals include the following four points:
To forge identification and empathy between the western world and the residents of the western Negev
To initiate community projects that will alleviate the economic and psychological condition of Sderot and western Negev residents
To improve the security situation of Sderot and the western Negev through international awareness of the rocket fire
To create a balance in the news coverage of Israel and promote a pro-Israel attitude in the western and international media
You can help by clicking here.
Friday, February 25, 2011
The Most Shelled City In The World
A couple of articles from The Most Shelled City In The World.
How should Israel deal with this threat? Brig.-Gen. (res.) Amatzia Chen believes that the current policy has failed.1 million Israelis are asking: "Who's next?"
Last night, Wednesday the 23rd of March, was the first time since Operation Cast Lead that an Iranian Grad missile exploded in Be'er Sheba, 40km from Gaza.
Arriving at the scene of the rocket strike Thursday morning, in the Northern neighborhoods of Be'er Sheba, brought me back to the terror scenes in Sderot of the past few years. For several years, rocket attacks were part of my daily routine living and working at the Sderot Media Center. When the Tzeva Adom (Code Red) sounded, I would go to the neighborhoods where the rocket exploded and film the scene. The next day, I would return, documenting the 'the day after, listening to the stories of residents on what occurred to them the day before.
Video: Noam Bedein, Sderot Media Center
In Be'er Sheba, I saw the same scenes I'd witnessed in Sderot: shattered car windshields; the shrapnel holes making "windows" on the homes; the radius of damage from where the missile exploded; the 'cover up' of the missile hole; like nothing happened and expecting the people to go back to normal; the holes in the iron doors; the Shabbat candles standing among shattered glasses; pictures of Rabbis hanging untouched on what remained of the walls; frightened and excited residents of the damaged or destroyed homes who just want to share their personal experience with the world; hearing story, counting the amount of times I heard the words; Luck, coincidence, and miracles.
Photo: Noam Bedein, Sderot Media Center
Be'er Sheba resident Chen Saban, a Sapir College student in her early twenties whose house was hit, described how she and her family were lucky enough to reach the secured room on time, saying she never expected her home to be hit. She said it was ironic because she goes to Sapir College, which is only a few km away from Gaza. Chen, who is supposed to get married in the next 3 weeks, is no longer certain about her future in Be'er Sheba and how she ill be able to plan her life living there.
It was amazing to hear all this because it took me 45 minutes to drive from Sderot to Be'er Sheba, which is 40km from Gaza, with residents having 60 seconds to run for the shelter once the siren goes off. And still the same reaction and comments of the frightened and traumatized people.
Photo: Noam Bedein, Sderot Media Center
Today, the more than 1 million Israelis who live in the range of 40km from Gaza are not feeling as secure as they did yesterday, asking themselves "who is next?"
Yitchak Akli a resident of the Be'er Sheba neighborhood said: "We should learn from
Photo: Noam Bedein, Sderot Media Center
the experience of 'cast lead'' that this would happen, they have (missiles) and hiding them, to launch and fire them at the right time, on any target in Be'er Sheba. It's a matter of time. They've learned our capabilities and they've learned us".
Since the last "cease fire" 530 rockets and missiles have been fired towards the South Western, past of Israel.
The Iranian Grad missile exploding in Bair-Sheba is a reminder how that a few months ago the Shin-Bet reported that there's a stack of over 5,000 Iranian missiles in Gaza, all of them having a range of 40 KM.
This is especially troubling because, in November 2009, Hamas test-fired a missile test towards the Mediterranean, reaching 60 KM, which is the distance from Northern Gaza to Tel-Aviv.
In November 2010, the ITIC reported that Hamas has missiles with an 80km range.
Almost everyone in the Western Negev knows not it's not "if'" but "when"' the next missile escalation starts, leading to the next Gaza war.
After living in Sderot for the past 5 years, watching the construction of 5,000 new bomb shelters, you don’t have to be a prophet to understand that the highest authorities in Israel know there has not been a permanent end to the rocket fire. Being realistic, Israel has to be prepared for many more years of conflict on the Gaza border.
While Iran is certainly a threat for Israel, the biggest delegitimization threat for Israel, is with no doubt Gaza. Add to this the uprisings in Egypt and North Africa, bringing to power groups that have already declared they will end the "peace treaty" with Israel.
Photo: Noam Bedein, Sderot Media Center
The harsh response that Israel received from the world media and many governments during and after Cast Lead, after the Flotilla incident, and right up to today is actually a modern-day version of a very old demonization of Jews and Israel. A tremendous effort is being made to delegitimize Israel, with the goal of eliminating the Jewish state. How Israel will deal with this threat?
"In all of the previous wars, starting from the 1956 Suez Operation, through the Six Day War and in the Yom Kippur War as well, the IDF took the fight into enemy territory," Chen recalled. "The security concept was that of fighting the war we choose, and seizing the initiative. But since 1982, after that rally in Rabin Square, Rabin and Peres decided, for political reasons, that the strategy needs to be changed and that we should only go to war when there is no choice - i.e., when the sword is on our neck."There is great anger in Sderot, a city with more bomb shelters than playgrounds.
Chen said that since that decision was made, Israel has lost its deterrent capability. "Our enemies understood the dramatic change in Israel's security concept as a position of weakness. In any case, they had ceased threatening us with regular armies and turned instead to the weapon of terror. They murdered hundreds of Jews inside Israel, but controlled the bloodletting so as to enable Israel's leaders to maintain the concept that one does not go to war as long as there is a choice."
"Every Israeli citizen knows that the Israel of today is not the Israel of pre-1982."
Chen said that artillery fire on Gaza is not a proper response to the missile attack on Be'er Sheva. "We are a nation that wants to live, and there is no point in fair play when it comes to terrorists. That is not how terror is defeated. The State of Israel is a sovereign state that needs to formulate a proper strategy. Unfortunately, the strategy today is that if you are fired upon you fire back. We are, in effect, signaling to the enemies that they can continue using the same method in the future, too."
I always allow the people of Sderot to speak for themselves. This is their story, their struggle, their battle. What is happening in Sderot, Beer-Sheva, Ashkelon, the Negev, is the price for living in Israel. For Sderot's residents it is the price of living on the frontier. If they surrender their city, it will only encourage Hamas to conquer the next city, then the one after it. Until they have conquered the whole nation.
By Dave Balson
Like everyone else on the planet, I have heard about the "complicated" situation in the Middle East my whole life: promises to fix it, hopeful negotiations that crumble behind closed doors, rockets, wars, treaties, stalemates, etc. Round and round it goes until, exasperated, I figure both sides are unwilling to reach the type of tough-but-straightforward agreements that brought peace to Ireland and South Africa, and I give up. "It's complicated" is a Facebook status, not a diplomatic agreement.
I spent the last two weeks in Israel. The trip was free, as it is to any Jew, through a program called "Taglit Birthright." To any students who come from a Jewish background, I suggest checking it out. It is a free trip to Israel, if nothing else.
Last Wednesday I visited Sderot, a town of about 20,000 people in the western Negev desert, less than a mile away from the Gaza strip.
Sderot has been the target of more than 10,000 rockets fired from Gaza since 2000. Gaza is controlled by the militant Islamic group Hamas. Sderot is the only town in the 21st Century where rockets are being continually fired at a civilian population.
To deal with the rocket attacks, the town has a siren that gives residents a 15-second warning to get into a bomb shelter.
Stop for a moment and consider how far you could get in 15 seconds. Could you get to the nearest bathroom? The nearest car? The nearest stairway?
Sderot is the bomb shelter capitol of the world. Every house has a bomb shelter. Apartment buildings have bomb shelters crawling up their sides. Every bus stop is a bomb shelter and others are spaced in between; there is a bomb shelter about 15 seconds away from most places.
If you are a child in Sderot, you should hope you are in school when the rockets come. Older schools have been retrofitted with huge steel shields on their outer walls and roofs. Newer schools are literally giant bomb shelters, their paltry playgrounds nothing but dust and three safe cubes awaiting the siren's call.
Other parts of town have the type of playgrounds we grew up on: ladder up, slide down, monkey bars and the wall with a clear bubble that never made sense. They have painted a castle a nice shade of purple, and made two long concrete snakes look so vibrant and fun, you could almost forget they, too, are bomb shelters. Between 70 to 95 percent of children in Sderot have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, according to Haaretz, an Israeli newspaper.
So why are people still living in this god-forsaken place? There are a few reasons. For one, housing is much cheaper there (feel free to guess why). For another, Sderot has one of the most lively and productive music scenes in the Eastern Hemisphere. The town is home to more chart-topping bands than any other in Israel and rivals any in Europe.
But the real reason people stay is because they feel they must. Sderot is internationally recognized as part of Israel. If they leave, if they give up, what happens to the next town? And the next? Rockets from Gaza can hit Israel's economic and cultural centers - Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, respectively.
I saw all this from Israel's side of the border, so I cannot speak with objective moral authority on who is right or wrong, victim or oppressor. I know everyone I talked to in Israel wants peace more than anything, and would give up land if they thought it would achieve it. I also know that people suffer in Gaza and struggle for a homeland in the West Bank.
As a commentator, I am supposed to speak in shoulds and should nots.
No one should have to live like the people of Sderot. That's all I've got.
It's complicated.
Dave Balson is a senior journalism major. He can be reached at 581-7942 or DENopinions@gmail.com
You are not on the frontier, the front line in this battle, but you can help. The small donation that you give to the Sderot Media Center goes to help the people, especially the children of Sderot. Just a bit of your spare change will help. To donate click here.
Children of Sderot Just Want A Little Peace
Friday, July 30, 2010
Sderot- The bomb shelter capital of the world
For the last week rockets fired from Gaza have been a daily occurrence. Although they have caused limited damage to property and no one has been hurt or killed. (Frayed nerves and a couple of neurotic cats.) It is only a matter of time before someone is killed.
A Grad rocket fired by Gaza terrorists hit an open area near a residential neighborhood in Ashkelon on Friday morning. No physical injuries were reported, although several people suffered shock and required medical attention. A vehicle was also damaged.
Ashkelon had experienced relative quiet following the Cast Lead counterterror operation in Gaza in early 2009.
The attack follows an attack last week that was carried out using an imported rocket more sophisticated than the short-range “Kassam” rockets produced in Gaza. In that case, the rocket failed to explode, and no injuries were reported.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has followed a policy of quick response to attacks from Gaza. Air Force planes have demolished smuggling tunnels and weapons factories in the region following previous rocket attacks.
Sderot is the only town and the Western Negav is the only region in the world, where missiles are fired towards civilian population in the 21st Century.--Sderot Media Center
If you are planning a visit to Israel, plan a side visit to Sderot. You can contact the Sderot Media Center for a tour.
No child should have to endure this. Please help!
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Gaza Mall Iron Dome
From the Sderot Media Center
By Jacob Shrybman
As an everyday person and member of the general public, aren't you tired of being lied to?
This past Saturday night the Gaza Strip had a grand opening for its new shopping mall called "Strip Mall." As the world continues its chastising of Israel, the nation that uprooted its citizens and got at least one rocket per person it uprooted in return for its sacrifice for peace, Gazans including the over 10,500 that received Israeli medical treatment in 2009 can enjoy the new goodies of the "Strip Mall."
This Sunday morning, EU's Senior Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton called for Israel to lift the blockade on the Gaza Strip. On her last visit this past March 18th she was in such a hurry to get to Gaza that she didn't visit nearby Netiv HaAsara where a Gaza qassam rocket murdered Manee Singmueangphon, a thai worker. On this visit when she was so overwhelmed with seeing all the terrible sites of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, was she able to stop in to check the opening day sales at the "Strip Mall?"
This past Saturday as the Gaza "Strip Mall" opened Sky News reported on the "still dire" situation in Gaza. The article reads, "The blockade has meant that only basics like flour, rice and sugar have been allowed into Gaza from Israel." Isn't it funny how one does not see any of these items in the joyous pictures of the Gaza "Strip Mall" grand opening?
UNRWA President John Ging,said on the day of the Gaza "Strip Mall" grand opening said that the people of Gaza, "Can't afford to buy cans of Coca Cola from Israel." But they can afford new clothes, luxury hair products, and children's toys at the new Gaza "Strip Mall?"
Is John Ging kidding me? The UN gave nearly $200 million in aid to Gaza in just the six months following Operation Cast Lead. It only gave $10 million in aid to Haiti following the devastating earthquake- Wyclef Jean should be campaigning in Geneva not just on The Huffington Post.
To what humanitarian crisis are these international "aid" ships sailing to? Does the Libyan warlord dictator Qaddafi, who sent a ship this past week, own a store in the Gaza Strip Mall?"
As an everyday person and member of the general public aren't you tired of being fed these lies about Gaza. If you're not, take a day off and go shopping at the new Gaza "Strip Mall."
Jacob Shrybman is the Assistant Director of the Sderot Media Center,www.SderotMedia.org.il . Jacob grew up in Takoma Park, MD and now hosts elected officials from around the world and international media visiting the Sderot/Gaza region. He has been published in The Jerusalem Post, USA Today, The Huffington Post, YNet News, and appeared on several international television and radio stations.
It has been over a week since the Gaza Mall opened its doors, Yet the world still cries out that there is an "Humanitarian Crises" in Gaza. Can you say Double Standard?
by Ben Hartman
Anti-missile system is set to be deployed in Israel in November.Iron Dome is a joint venture between Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and the Department of Defense. Iron Dome is only one of the many joint projects being developed.
After passing its final operational test on Monday, the Iron Dome anti-missile system is set to be deployed in Israel in November, and residents living within rocket range of theGaza Strip are greeting the announcement with both relief and dismissal.
Ashkelon Mayor Benny Vaknin, whose city was bombarded by Kassam and Grad rockets during Operation Cast Lead, welcomed the impending deployment of Iron Dome, which he said would make a significant improvement in the quality of life of his city’s residents.
“I very much hope that one of the Iron Dome teams will be deployed in Ashkelon, because it can ensure us protection,” Vaknin said on Tuesday. “We took hundreds of rockets and Grads in Cast Lead, so we deserve a system like this.”
Vaknin called the news “very positive” for Ashkelon and vowed that the defense system would increase the deterrence against Israel’s enemies, as well as feelings of security among the public. “It’s expensive, but what can you do, it’s for the sake of security,” he said, when asked about what many consider the platform’s prohibitive cost.
Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilna’i said later in the day that Iron Dome would not succeed in intercepting all of the rockets fired into Israel. “It is more likely that it will intercept about 80 percent,” he told Israel Radio.
Vilna’i said that residents of Gaza-belt communities would continue to be threatened by rockets for “years to come.” He added that the IDF would not deploy the system along the southern border immediately, but would do so based on operational requirements.
Development of Iron Dome has cost over $200 million, and the program has come under repeated criticism because of its high cost. The system operates by identifying an incoming threat and then firing a missile to intercept it in mid-air. The missiles cost tens of thousands of dollars each, while the crudely-made rockets they’re meant to take down cost very little.
In an article on the CBN News Web site on Wednesday, Yossi Drucker, director of the Iron Dome project, said each Tamir missile would cost $100,000.
Military analyst Reuven Pedatzur is less than thrilled about the system, which he has referred to as “a scam.”
“If each missile we fire costs $100,000, and each Kassam costs $10, $20, then all they’ll need to do is shoot as many rockets as they possibly can until we go broke. Hizbullah alone is believed to have over 150,000 longrange rockets. We can’t afford this.”
Pedatzur called statements that Israel now has the means to solve all of its missile and rocket threats “nonsense and delusional,” citing the short flight time of most projectiles fired at Israel, and the time it takes for Iron Dome to identify and intercept a threat.
“The system can’t defend against anything with a range of less than four and a half kilometers, and also possibly projectiles with a range of up to 10 km,” he said. “It can’t protect Sderot or the western Negev because there isn’t enough time, enough range. The flight time of a Kassam is 14 seconds, and it takes Iron Dome 15 seconds to identify a threat and fire a missile.”
Pedatzur added that the system can’t target mortars, which were heavily used by Gaza militants during Cast Lead.
“Basically, the whole story, that they have solved the threats facing Israel, is nonsense, it’s delusional.”
Sderot resident and director of the Sderot Media Center Noam Bedein was similarly underwhelmed by news that Iron Dome was on its way to deployment, saying that it won’t provide protection to the western Negev town.
“Iron Dome is supposed to work only on objects fired from over 4 km. away, so those of us on the border with Gaza won’t be protected. Here in Sderot, everyone understands that it won’t protect the people.”
Bedein added that if the government was so sure about the effectiveness of Iron Dome, it wouldn’t have spent “half a billion dollars turning us into the bomb shelter capital of the world.”
Yaakov Katz contributed to this report.
From Rafael about Iron Dome:
The Iron Dome is an effective and innovative mobile defense solution for countering short range rockets and 155 mm artillery shell threats with ranges of up to 70 km in all weather conditions, including low clouds, rain, dust storms or fog.The drawbacks to such a system are:
The system uses a unique interceptor with a special warhead that detonates any target in the air within seconds.
The Iron Dome radar detects and identifies the rocket or artillery shell launch and monitors its trajectory. Target data is transmitted to the Battle Management & Weapon Control (BMC) for processing. The threat’s trajectory is quickly analyzed and the expected impact point is estimated.
If the estimated rocket trajectory poses a critical threat, a command is given within seconds and an interceptor is launched against the threat.
The interceptor receives trajectory updates from the BMC via uplink communication. The interceptor approaches the target and uses its radar seeker to acquire the target and guides the interceptor within passing distance. The target warhead is detonated over a neutral area, therefore reducing collateral damage to the protected area.
1. Limitations of time. It takes Iron Dome 15 seconds to respond, a Kassem 14 seconds.
2. Each Iron Dome missile cost $100,000, a Grad or Kassem costs $10, $20.
3. It is only 80% effective. In the North Hezbollah can overwhelm the system with the amount of sheer numbers of rockets at their disposal.
While not the panacea both government are claiming, it is a lot better than the nothing that was there before.
Every day thousands of Israeli civilians live with the fear of an rocket attack from Gaza. And the world doesn't care. They are nothing to the world, less than animals to the media.
You can help change that. When the
But most of all, you can donate. The few dollars you send to the Sderot Media Center does a world of good. It helps the people of Sderot cope with the daily barrage of rockets. Did you know that over 85% of all children in Sderot suffer from PTSD? There is no other place in this world that occurs. Counseling for these children is expensive and the government can only help a few. So please give. It just takes a few moments of your time. Just click here.
Thank you!
Sunday, July 11, 2010
News From Sderot
From the Sderot Media Center 2 important articles.
by Noam Bedein
Israel's legitimacy as an independent Jewish state is being undermined and threatened like never before, especially in Europe.I personally have given up on Europe and the trash that lives there. I firmly believe that within a few years Europe will be living under Shar'ia Law as Dhimmis. Too bad for them, the warning signs are there now.
This became apparent during a short journey to Brussels and a nine-day speaking tour in Norway during the diplomatic crises of the Gaza aid 'flotilla'.
"It doesn't look good for Israel in the future if in this crisis, Israel loses support from friendly countries such as Spain and Italy" said a colleague who works as a political consultant of an Italian MP, (and asked not to be named citing security concerns).
At the European Parliament house in Brussels, the flotilla aftermath made one issue obvious: Israel had better start strategizing on focusing its talking points and PR in presenting the Israeli perspective to the last of the Europeans still willing to listen. Or else Israel risks becoming isolated like South Africa was in the last years of Apartheid.
"It is a dangerous situation when EU members choose to be blind, in order not to see and hear the actual facts," an Italian MP told me regarding the Israel's side presented to the EU Parliament house after the flotilla episode.
This observation was made while en route to a press conference where Efraim Halevy, former Israeli ambassador to the EU, was ' lynched’ by reporters, over the flotilla crises, and was raked over the coals by a REUTERS reporter. Ironically, the same REUTERS news agency had fabricated flotilla photos to present the image of 'peace activists' by splicing out the knives carried by the Turkish terrorists.
All this took place minutes before a Conference on Global Terrorism, where Mr. Halevy was asked by the Palestinian ambassador to the EU: "What about the serious accusation of the Swedish reporter about the stealing Palestinian organs by Israeli soldiers during the Gaza war? Why was that reporter kicked out of Israel for further investigation?"
The fact that questions like these about Israeli policies still ring in the international forums, reflect the depths of hatred and pure misinformation that is being cultivated in Europe--emanating from successful propaganda campaigns reminiscent of the Third Reich era against the Jewish people.
No matter what basic facts were presented and exposed to all about the Gaza aid flotilla, as so well presented by Law Professor Alan Dershowitz in his article- "Israel obeyed international law: Legally, the Gaza flotilla conflict is an open-and-shut case" it wouldn't matter because EU countires and their MP's have already been wooed to one side.
"The EU’s primary ‘case' against Israel in the EU Parliament regarding the flotilla crises, is with no doubt the killings’ in "international waters," according to Mr. Nuno Martines from European Friends of Israel.
Israeli PR is ticking at one minute before the END GAME, where there’s no looking back. It must refocus its main points and battles, when the Gaza/Palestinian narrative has had so deep an effect on people’s minds and hearts.
And this is the result of losing in the first battle in the Second Gaza Media War:
Case in point: a small briefing of the Israeli Ambassador to the EU took place in a local library in down town Brussels. This session was scheduled before the flotilla crises organized by the organization "Young Professionals of Foreign Affairs’ regarding the relationship between Israel and the EU.
Almost all the questions asked by young professionals in the audience at the meeting had a direct reference to the Holocaust or to Nazi Germany.
A young Italian woman's query was typical: "I admit I don’t know enough about the Israeli- Palestinian conflict, but how can you as people who experienced a Holocaust can let children starve in an humanitarian crises like Gaza is?"
A young staffer for a Belgian MP chimed in: "How can people who’ve been through so much only 65 years ago, ignore the sufferings of the Palestinians?"
And the last question,asked in a laconic, non-chalant manner - "Why should Israel keep its identity as a Jewish state? After all, we all remember the last European country that wanted to define itself on a nationalistic note, and look what happened in Germany from there..."
The people who assess the results of the Israel PR media war at this time must come to some immediate conclusions. It is vital that we work to promote the basic human rights as Jews and Israelis for self determination as a state. The time has also come to pioneer a proactive response to the Gaza narrative as Hamas has become a household term around the world.
Based upon this experience in Brussels, Israel must re-focus its time and efforts on outreaching to the thousands of young adult professionals who work as MP staffers to the 736 EU MPs of the EU Parliament house and the European commission. Sending young Israelis to conduct dialogue with Europe's up and coming generation is the most effective outreach that can be done.
As an Israeli who lives less than a mile from Gaza and experiencing the third 'cease fire' between Israel and Hamas where already hundreds of rockets have been fired towards Israel, I know that the times are difficult. The total number of rocket and missile attacks fired from Gaza towards Israel as of mid-June, has risen to 370 since the end of the military operation in Gaza, January 18, 2009. It is clear is that the security situation in southern Israel on the ground is very fragile, just as Israel’s image is in neighboring Europe. We need to do all we can to prepare for the inevitable battle of rocket/flotilla warfare, while simultaneously implementing a media strategy to retain our allies in Europe.
As Israel marks five years to the withdrawal of Israeli troops and civilians from Gaza Strip--the only nation in modern history that has ever given land for peace after winning a war--Hamas continues to find other means to wage conflict. Since Hamas militarily took over the Gaza Strip in 2007, the battle for Israel's right to exist has only increased. As of now, the Islamic regime of Hamas today, the only such terrorist organization in the world that controls an entire population of civilians thanks to international support, is doing all it can to win on the PR front.
It's seems as Gaza today is haunting us..
And here comes the next load of ships...
Finding an Oasis of Israel Support Among Christian Zionists
by Noam Bedein
As the director of Sderot Media Center, I find it is important to speak at eye-level to university students and other young audiences and to present a first-hand account of Israel’s stand versus the Gaza narrative.May G-d Bless the Christian communities world-wide who understand, love and support the State of Israel. May they grow and flourish for many years to come.
During my fourth visit to the Christian Zionist communities in Norway, where I was invited by a pro-Israel advocacy group by the name of MIFF, to take part in a media conference that took place in Oslo. As a resident of Sderot, I talked about what it is like to live under the constant threat of missiles fired from Hamas-ruled Gaza.
I defend Israel’s blockade of Gaza, as a legal and necessary measure against an entity sworn to Israel’s destruction and its removal that would lead to a flood of heavy Iranian weaponry, including long- range missile systems entering Gaza.
My visit coincided with Israel’s latest diplomatic crisis in wake of the Turkish-led Flotilla to Gaza that tried to forcefully break Israel’s naval blockade while posing as a self-described human rights delegation offering humanitarian aid.
I cannot begin to describe the oasis of comfort I felt at the sight of the huge Israeli flags waving proudly from the terraces of pro-Israel Christians.
Where only moments before I felt so isolated, drowning in a sea of hatred while the massive negative media blindly turned against Israel, with every headline screaming “Israel massacres human rights activists”, these Chrisitan Zionists unapologetically took a stand for Israel. While European politicians were calling for a boycott on Israel - the Christian Zionists communities got together and made a point of purchasing products with labels “Made in Israel.”
My travels have exposed me to the pro-Israel Christian communities.
Being raised in an orthodox Jewish home, it has been somewhat of an experience for me to feel at home with the Christian communities. Yet, only they understand me when I point out that the Middle East conflict is a war of religions. These communities are completely familiar and in agreement with the Jewish people’s right to live in the Land of Israel.
Nancy and Doug's beautiful home in Lyngdall, Norway.
When I get up with the Bible in hand and say “here in this Bible is the word of God saying that the Land of Israel belongs to the People of Israel”. We have every right to live in Sderot and any other part of the land in peace and security". The audience cheers and says “Amen” and “Hallelujah.”
It was New Year’s Eve, 2010, when I first met the presidential candidate of Zambia, Dr. Savior Chishimba. Savior, a devout Christian and staunch Zionist, came to Sderot to take part in the Sderot “Sderot Rally for Hope” - an initiative of the Sderot Media Center - commemorating one year to the “Cast Lead” military operation in Gaza, marching to the hope that the new decade will bring a halt to Qassam rockets from Gaza targeting civilians in Sderot.
Dr. Savior represented the African civilians who fell pray to acts of terror from radical Islamic forces during the last decade.
Saviour Chashimba at the Sderot Rally for Hope.
Nowadays, most African countries do not have diplomatic relations with Israel due to their succumbing to the Arab boycott and their oil dependency on the Gulf States.
Traveling to Africa, I was invited to speak at the Kenya Security Council and at two Kenyan universities where most of the students are Christians. I was received warmly and was able to talk openly about life in Sderot alongside Islamic terror and the necessity for a security fence between Israel and the Gaza Strip. This was mentioned in context to the parallel threat facing Kenya and the importance of a security fence between Moslem Somalia and Christian Kenya where approximately 5000 Moslems infiltrate Kenya daily including radical Islamic elements who carry out terror attacks on Kenyan territory.
Our paths crossed again last March at the “Jerusalem House of Prayer” in Lusaka, capitol of Zambia where I was invited to speak. Savior said he was planning another visit to Israel and I invited him to join my family for Seder night.
Dr. Savior took me up on the invitation and indeed joined my family for Seder Night at my parents’ home in Efrat, Gush Etzion:
Savior took delight in the many rituals he witnessed at our Seder table. He enjoyed the taste of his first Matza and loved the idea of drinking 4 cups of fine wine! He followed with rapt attention the story of Israel’s exodus from Egypt and it was clear that he was familiar with the story.
Chashimba and Bedein at press conference in Lusaka, Zambia.
His parting words to us were his promise to renew diplomatic ties with Israel when elected president and to set up the Zambian Embassy in Jerusalem. “I plan to awaken the Christian majority in Zambia to the importance of having ties with the Jewish people in Israel”, he said.
“Whosoever blesses the Jewish people will be blessed and whosoever curses the Jewish people will be cursed. You see that all the nations are now coming out against Jerusalem and the Jewish people but you have nothing to fear because the Jewish people will come out on top!”
When he left, someone at the table declared: "Elijah the Prophet has come to give us good tidings!
Speaking to many Christian Zionist audiences all over the world, has led me to believe that in order to make a dent in world opinion that is currently stacked up against us, Israel’s leaders must enlist the help of our Zionist Christian allies. To do so, Israel must send out emissaries to these communities and provide them with advocacy tools so they can stand with Israel and the values it represents and to be prepared and effective in swaying world opinion away from the dangerous Jihadists who vow to destroy all Western civilization.
Take a good look at those so-called Christian churches, the ones called Main Stream. They are dying. The young people don't attend, the families stay away, they are dying. They also don't support or recognize Israel's right to exist or the right of the Jewish people to have a homeland in our ancestral home.
The churches that are thriving have Zionists for their membership. They will flourish and grow.
The Sderot Media Center is a voice to the world for the people of Sderot. It exists only with the aid of contributions from people like you. Please give.
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