PM Sharon paid a visit to the town of Sderot today and pledged to prevent further Kassam rocket attacks on its residents. Ironically, the Prime Minister was then promptly hustled toward shelter due to a renewed barrage of rockets falling on the town, which is within Israel’s pre-1967 borders. Sharon's tour was not announced in advance and the rockets fired during his visit did not land near him.
Residents of Sderot have sharply protested the Prime Minister’s plans to withdraw from Gaza. They say that the abandonment of Gaza is a move that will make such rocket attacks a regular occurrence not just in Sderot but across the western Negev and the Ashkelon area.
"We are determined to take broad action to ensure that what happened will not be repeated – not now, before we have moved out of the Gaza Strip, and not after we leave," Sharon told reporters in Sderot. The Prime Minister was referring to the three-year-old boy, Afik Zahavi, and 49-year-old Mordechai Yosefov, who were killed on Monday when struck by a Kassam rocket fired into Sderot from Gaza.
The prime minister was in Sderot to meet with the Zahavi family and local dignitaries.
"We don't plan to ignore what happened here. The security services have begun taking actions whose aim is to prevent the firing of these missiles," Sharon said.
Later, the PM told reporters: "I have directed Ilan Cohen, the director-general at my bureau, to prepare an action plan that will strengthen communities in the area. We plan to assist with municipal tax payments, offer special educational programs and summer camps, and give preference to the region in the areas of health, welfare, and industry." Sharon added that he plans to bring the plan for government approval this coming Sunday.
This morning, a Kassam rocket landed in Sderot's shopping area, another in Kibbutz Erez, and one near Sha'ar HaNegev College. One man was moderately wounded in the Sderot attack, with others treated for shock.
“We have a problem dealing with the firing of Kassam rockets," Defense Minister Sha'ul Mofaz admitted earlier today. “The initial solution is to take over the areas from which the terrorists launch the rockets, as we have done. We will stay in the Beit Hanoun vicinity as long as is necessary.”
Residents of Sderot have sharply protested the Prime Minister’s plans to withdraw from Gaza. They say that the abandonment of Gaza is a move that will make such rocket attacks a regular occurrence not just in Sderot but across the western Negev and the Ashkelon area.
"We are determined to take broad action to ensure that what happened will not be repeated – not now, before we have moved out of the Gaza Strip, and not after we leave," Sharon told reporters in Sderot. The Prime Minister was referring to the three-year-old boy, Afik Zahavi, and 49-year-old Mordechai Yosefov, who were killed on Monday when struck by a Kassam rocket fired into Sderot from Gaza.
The prime minister was in Sderot to meet with the Zahavi family and local dignitaries.
"We don't plan to ignore what happened here. The security services have begun taking actions whose aim is to prevent the firing of these missiles," Sharon said.
Later, the PM told reporters: "I have directed Ilan Cohen, the director-general at my bureau, to prepare an action plan that will strengthen communities in the area. We plan to assist with municipal tax payments, offer special educational programs and summer camps, and give preference to the region in the areas of health, welfare, and industry." Sharon added that he plans to bring the plan for government approval this coming Sunday.
This morning, a Kassam rocket landed in Sderot's shopping area, another in Kibbutz Erez, and one near Sha'ar HaNegev College. One man was moderately wounded in the Sderot attack, with others treated for shock.
“We have a problem dealing with the firing of Kassam rockets," Defense Minister Sha'ul Mofaz admitted earlier today. “The initial solution is to take over the areas from which the terrorists launch the rockets, as we have done. We will stay in the Beit Hanoun vicinity as long as is necessary.”