Though you would never know it from reading the Western press, Palestinian rocket attacks from Gaza on Israeli towns and cities have become almost a daily occurrence of late.

On Wednesday of this week, there were at least 12 rockets fired by Palestinian terrorists at the Negev.

Fortunately, their accuracy and aim is way off the mark, but that does not justify the manner in which these attacks go almost entirely unreported.

Worse yet – the Israeli government has thus far refrained from undertaking a serious military operation in order to bring about an end to these assaults.

Instead of sweeping into northern Gaza and eliminating the terrorist infrastructure behind these attacks, Israel has largely confined itself to occasional pinpoint assaults. But as Wednesday’s rocket barrage demonstrated, this approach has been completely ineffectual.

Now comes word that instead of adopting an offensive posture, Israel will be investing in a more passive tactic. As Yediot Aharonot reports, the army has decided to install 11 shelters in Kibbutz Nir Am, near the town of Sderot, which has been a regular target of the rocket assaults. As the kibbutz residents told the paper, this is not enough to meet the kibbutz’ need, nor is it even clear whether there will be sufficient funds available to repair and establish the shelters.

But all that is largely beside the point. The question which Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert needs to address is: why are Israel’s citizens being made to hunker down and hide in shelters, rather than the terrorists who are shooting at them?