Ashkelon's residents will not remain quiet and wait for the government and army to protect them, said Itamar Shimoni, head of the coastal city's security forum, after Ashkelon was shaken Friday morning by a barrage of five Grad Katyusha missiles fired from Gaza.
"I hereby announce to the Defense Minister that we will not be cannon fodder," he said. "We will not wait quietly for seven bad years like Sderot did."
"If missiles continue to fall, we will seal the gates to the city and set the country on fire until the terror in Gaza is crushed," he warned.
Barak: I am not Minister of War
Defense Minister Ehud Barak responded to the latest attacks on the Gaza Belt and Ashkelon with subdued warnings but no timetables. Speaking at an academic conference held in Neve Ilan, he called the situation "unbearable" and "one that must not be allowed to continue," adding that "the IDF and the security establishment have the ability to act against Hamas and additional external elements in Gaza."
MK Shteinitz: "Only a different leadership, that will stop groveling before the terror organizations and states like Syria that support them, can gradually improve the situation."
"It is possible," he said, "that when the time comes there will be a need for a large scale operation, because we cannot accept a prolonged violation of the lull."
Barak added, however, that "hotheadedness is not policy" and said, "I am a Minister of Defense, not of War," reminding his audience that "we saw two years ago what consequences a hurried decision has for Israel's security" - a reference to the Second Lebanon War.
Politicians Slam Barak
Politicians from right-of-center parties did not spare Barak their lashes following the latest attacks by Gaza terrorists on Israeli communities. MK Gilad Erdan (Likud) called upon Barak to ignore the "lull" with Hamas and strike terror leaders. "It is clear today that Tzipi Livni, who claims to represent 'what is good for Israel' [in her election campaign slogan - ed.] has led to the ascendance of Hamas and the unceasing rocket fire on southern Israel and the Negev," Erdan said.
MK Yuval Shteinitz (Likud) said: "Only a different leadership, that will stop groveling before the terror organizations and states like Syria that support them, can gradually improve the situation."
MK David Rotem (Yisrael Beiteinu) called Barak's policy "irresponsible" and demanded that shipments of fuel and goods to Gaza be stopped "once and for all."
The National Union/National Religious Party released a statement reading: "All of our warnings before the Disengagement are coming true, unfortunately." The party asked why the government of Israel continues supplying electricity, fuel and water to the abductors of Gilad Shalit.