Kassam rockets are falling in Sderot and the western Negev and the Israeli Minister of Defense speaks about the virtue of restraint. When Israel does finally act against the missile shooters, there is inevitably harm done to bystanders. As a result the world focuses its venom and anger at the Israelis. The Palestinians begin to cry out with legitimate pain over the death of innocents, but very quickly escalate into cries of, "This is a war crime. He dared to hit me back first." These reactions and the world's attentive ear continue to achieve their intended goal, and Israel is again beaten down in submission. Any talk of a real and effective response to the daily terror is quickly stifled.



When the Israeli government - which prides itself as being courageous, strong and powerful - confronts this seeming impenetrable impasse, they choose the cowardly option. They focus their intelligence and their strength against their own brothers. The two-week ultimatum that Minister of Defense Amir Peretz declared in his drive to uproot unauthorized settlements is almost up. During the tenure of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon , the Israelis offered a gift to the American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice - the uprooting of 24 unauthorized settlements established after March 2001.



Originally, the far-left lawyer Talia Sasson of the Attorney General's office wrote a report that declared many settlements and outposts to be illegal. .Sasson's report overturned many previous government decisions that gave approval to certain settlements or that began the process of such approval . Sasson determined that any group of houses not immediately adjacent to an existing settlement (something she called tsmudei dofen) would be declared illegal. As a result, the number of locations slated for destruction grew.



This government had initially prepared a list of forty settlements and outposts to be destroyed, but that list was quickly reduced to 24. Recently, writs of destruction have been presented to thirteen of these settlements.



The thinking behind the establishment of these outposts was not strictly ideological or passionate, but was rather determined by security issues. These outposts provide one of two functions: the first is to set up a line of defense around existing settlement blocs, and the second is to secure the hilltops abutting the intersections and roads where innocent Israelis have been murdered.



Givat Assaf is just one example of the whirlwind of emotions and issues surrounding these locations.



Givat Assaf, with 14 families, is located on the strategic Beit El turnoff and with a commanding view of the Jerusalem-Shilo-Ariel highway. The community was established in April 2001, after Ofrah resident Assaf Hershkovitz was murdered by Arab terrorists just a few hundred meters away. His father Aryeh had been murdered by Arabs three months earlier in a similar manner several kilometers away.



The news of Assaf's murder was gently broken to his younger brother Dor, 11, who had recited Kaddish daily, usually with Assaf, in their father's memory. Dor tearfully asked how he could say Kaddish for two people, his father and his brother: "Assaf, only three months ago, a tragedy occurred and our father was murdered, and you, my brother, acted like a father to me, and together we recited Kaddish. But today I stand here and wonder: How can I carry out the mission of reciting Kaddish alone, for you and father."



A year later, the terrorists struck again in the same location. Albert Maloul, 50, and his cousin Herzl Maloul, 40, were returning home to Jerusalem from Eli, where they operate the swimming pool. Albert was hit in the head and died shortly afterward, despite frantic efforts by Magen David Adom medics dispatched from nearby Ofra.



It is no wonder that Geula Hershkovitz, mother of Assaf (H.y.d.) has vowed to chain herself to the buildings if the army comes to destroy this living memorial to her son and husband. There will be many others like her at Givat Assaf and at many of the other outposts. Such is the passionate turmoil surrounding each of these flashpoints.



Will Ehud Olmert and Amir Peretz again send out the black-shirted Yassam police and the horseman with their batons, as they did in Amona? It may turn out that as the battle to protect the lives of families in Sderot becomes more difficult, Olmert and his inexperienced minister of defence will become more frustrated and frantic. The cowardly option, of dismantling settlements and aggressively attacking Israeli civilians, will seem the way to go. Showing resolve could only be good for political ratings and the Kadima party, which was created out of the world of political ratings, will not be able to resist the temptation.



The fact that pictures of Israeli soldiers beating Israeli civilians and of the dismantling of Israeli settlements will do nothing but stoke the fires of terrorism will not dissuade Olmert. This last point cannot be overstated. After the panicked exit from Lebanon, the ill-conceived expulsion from Gaza and the brutal violence at Amona, it will be very difficult to quench the insatiable desire of terrorism. That is reason enough to stop the talk of dismantling more settlements, but not with our leaders, for whom logic seems to have been replaced by an incredible desire to "look good" in the world.



The unmistakable truth of Jewish history is that it seems to move through endless cycles. Issues of Biblical importance seem to crop up again and again throughout Jewish history. The fact that the expulsion of Jews from Gush Katif occurred following the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av - 3,116 years after ten of the spies Moshe sent into the Land of Promise came back with their report of fear and weakness - is not happenstance.



In that incident long ago, those ten Jewish tribal leaders turned viciously against Moshe, Aaron, Joshua and Caleb. It was easier to confront their own leadership than to confront their fears of coping with the giants of the Land of Promise (Numbers 14:10): " But all the congregation wished to stone them with stones...." Almost 3,117 years later, the present Jewish leadership wish to opt for the same cowardly option and strike out at their brothers.



The days and weeks ahead are going to be very difficult and trying, but those who have not lost faith will need to muster the courage of Joshua, the "different spirit" of Calev, and the vision of Moshe and Aharon.