A delegation of Gush Katif residents met with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Education Minister Limor Livnat this morning in Sharon\'s Jerusalem office. Spokeswoman Efrat Badihi later summed up the meeting as follows:
\"We asked for increased security measures, in light of the continuing warfare - and although Sharon promised us many things in this regard, this was not our main thrust. We mainly came to bring him a message of idealism and settlement, that we will not budge from here, but that we will continue to grow and blossom... He agreed that not one home would be dismantled, and said that in his opinion every house and community are exactly where they should be and that we must continue to grow. We understood that we have more than an open door with the Prime Minister, and we invited him to visit us, and he agreed... They promised to pass a government decision categorizing our towns as \'front-line communities,\' which will help us significantly, with economic and educational benefits, such as recognition for small classes, and more...
\"When listening to the Prime Minister, it was very easy to be convinced of his sincerity. At first, we were a bit taken aback when we finished our opening remarks, and Sharon looked at Limor and said, \'Are these guys from the same country as us?\' We thought for a second that he was trying to exclude us from the rest of the country, but he quickly reassured us that he meant it as praise, and that we should continue to lead; he said that it was always the few who led the way, and that we should continue to do so and that we will emerge victorious. The look in his eyes told us that he was very sincere, and that he longed to come himself to join us in Gush Katif.\"
Former O.C. Southern Commander Maj.-Gen. Yom Tov Samiyeh believes that the IDF must broaden its offensive activities in Gaza. He said this morning that the PA airport in Dahaniyeh should be \"plowed under\" in light of the Palestinian attacks, and that parts of PA-controlled Area A must be permanently captured. \"Only then will Arafat understand that violence does not pay,\" Samiyeh said.
Heavy Palestinian shooting continued against Israeli civilian and military targets in Gaza last night, and at least nine Arab grenades were hurled at an IDF force there throughout the day. No one was hurt, and IDF soldiers returned fire. The PLO claims that one person was killed by the Israeli counter-fire.