In the months since the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the
Kassam missiles have continued to fall regularly. There was
no significant difference in the rate that prevailed before
the withdrawal and after the withdrawal. So far Israel has
not developed an "answer" — in military terms, a reply
that will stop them. The latest suggestion is that Israel
will establish a "no-go" zone in the northern parts of the
Gaza strip that will at least force the missiles to be fired
from farther away.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) has not done anything
effective to stop the rockets. According to some reports, PA
security officers "patrol" the areas in which missiles are
fired, in effect providing cover for the terrorists since IDF
artillery crews have to be careful not to hit them.
Terrorists have even boasted about establishing a "no-go"
zone on the Israeli side.
Military spokesmen say that 70 percent of the launched
missiles have been falling within the Gaza strip, but the 30
percent that have been falling in Israel are still way too
many. The rockets are very inaccurate and usually fall and
explode harmlessly. However if they score a direct hit they
can kill, and the noise is frightening in any case. On Monday
one landed very close to a Chanukah party for children.
According to prominent media reports the IDF is planning more
aggressive action in the northern Gaza Strip. This will most
likely start in the new buffer zone, from where the Kassams
are fired.
Israeli military leaders have said publicly that they are not
planning a widespread military operation of ground troops,
but rather air strikes and artillery fire. Israel does not
want to be accused of foiling the scheduled Palestinian
elections.
In keeping with policy for military activity in an inhabited
area from which rockets are launched, the IDF will advise the
Palestinian residents to stay in their homes. The army will
warn residents that leaving their homes will mean putting
themselves in danger.
The security zone declared by the IDF in the northern Gaza
strip is more than five kilometers deep and includes two
large Palestinian towns: Beit Hanun and Beit Lakia. The
Kassam rockets have been launched recently mainly from around
Beit Hanun.
"We will consider anyone who tries to enter the area armed
and dangerous and act accordingly," an official said. "We are
looking for deterrence. We want people to understand that if
they go into the area they will be targeted."
The official also said that Israel understood this policy
would likely cause hardship to the Palestinian population in
the area, but the hope was that the population would then
prevail on the terrorist organizations involved to stop. "If
it causes inconvenience to the population they are urged to
put pressure on Islamic Jihad, the ones hurting them," the
official said.
In one of the recent Kassam attacks, a team of Islamic Jihad
activists launched the rocket from very close to a
neighborhood built with funds contributed by Abu Dhabi to the
Palestinian Authority. Many officers of the Palestinian
defense branches purchased the relatively spacious apartments
in it.
The prime minister and cabinet have approved the IDF's
planned activity; Prime Minister Ariel Sharon even urged the
IDF to react more firmly to the Kassam attacks. The IDF
presented several proposals, not all of which were
approved.
The IDF's "targeted assassination" operations, which have
recently focused on Islamic Jihad people, have failed to put
an end to the Kassam fire, which has recently been aimed
mainly towards Ashkelon and its surroundings.
Defense minister Mofaz said that the policy of targeted
assassinations, especially against the leaders of Islamic
Jihad who were responsible for recent attacks, would
continue. He said that Hamas had not been involved in the
recent attacks.
Mofaz also said that a closure that was clamped on the
territories last week would continue through Chanukah.
Transportation Minister Shetreet had an original suggestion:
"For a relatively small amount of money we can manufacture
small missiles that make a lot of noise, very little damage
and when they fall on someone's head they can kill him,
exactly like the Kassams do."
The government intends to make available a further NIS 125
million to complete a plan to protect Israeli towns in the so-
called "Gaza envelope" from Kassam rockets. The government
approved a comprehensive, NIS 210 million plan a few months
ago but only NIS 85 million had been disbursed as of last
week.
