Terrorists continued to unleash Kassam rocket, rock and firebombing attacks from Gaza and throughout Judea and Samaria Saturday, most of which have been ignored by Israeli media.
Islamic Jihad terrorists attacked the Negev town of Sderot with three rockets, and one of them scored a direct hit on a home, causing extensive damage but no injuries. Five more rockets fell in open areas across the western Negev Saturday. At least four more were fired Sunday.
The rock and firebomb attacks Saturday included stonings of a bus and cars near Bethlehem, on the road between Kfar Sava and communities in Samaria and on a highway south of Hevron. Several vehicles sustained damage, and one man suffered injuries in his eye.
The escalation in attacks came as Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert have become more powerless to fight terrorism and even failed to resume twice-monthly meetings this week.
American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice initially brought the two together in a meeting marked by angry shouts and mutual charges of failure to act. They last met in mid-April in what appears to be a quick end to the bi-weekly face-to-face conferences resulting from an American effort to force renewed negotiations
Abbas, Olmert Lead Weak Governments
Each leader is facing his own political crisis, leaving both of them without time or energy to deal with terrorist attacks. Hamas, which shares the reins of power with Fatah, challenged the Bush administration Saturday, saying it does not accept an American plan calling for more "good will" measures by Israel in return for another attempt to stop terrorist attacks.
The American government has been pressuring Israel to eliminate more army checkpoints, although their removal usually is followed by an increasing number of attacks. 
The American government has been pressuring Israel to eliminate more army checkpoints, although their removal usually is followed by an increasing number of attacks
Government officials have expressed strong opposition to the latest American plan for more "good will" measures in return for PA plans, without action, to curtail terrorism. The Hamas rejection of the American proposal may bury it.
Abbas has renewed threats that he will call new elections in an effort to reverse the Hamas domination in the legislature. He claimed that the government will collapse because of the continued American-led sanctions against transferring money to a PA government that is shared by Hamas.
"Tensions between Fatah and Hamas are very high," said a senior PA official. "The situation could deteriorate into violence at any moment."
Prime Minister Olmert is facing one crisis after the other, including charges of corruption and blame from the Winograd Committee for failures in the war against Hizbullah. He has resisted calls to resign.
Despite repeated vows not to tolerate continued attacks from Gaza, the Olmert administration has confined its counter-terrorist actions to Judea and Samaria, where it killed three terrorists in Jenin Friday afternon.
Attempts by terrorists to infiltrate from Egypt also continued Saturday, and army soldiers killed one armed man who tried to sneak across the border.
Egypt has taken responsibility for patrolling the border since Israel withdrew from the area following the demolition of Jewish communities in the Gaza region two summers ago.
Hamas militias said Saturday they have taken control of the sites of most of the demolished Jewish communities, which were supposed to have become the foundation for growth in Arab agriculture.
In a separate incident within the PA Saturday, Al Aksa Martyrs Brigades terrorists aligned with Abbas executed a man suspected of cooperating with Israel.
