Israel Matzav

Reinforced Roofs?

When I read a story like this, I wonder whether this country has gone mad.

As I have been telling you ad nauseam for months now, Ehud Olmert intends to withdraw civilians and the IDF from major portions of Judea and Samaria. In other words, he intends to surrender territory that is vital for Israel's security to the 'Palestinians' with no quid pro quo.

In tomorrow's Jerusalem Post, there is going to be a special Independence Day interview (Independence Day is tomorrow night) with OC Home Front Command Maj.-Gen. Gershon Yitzhak. In the interview (a teaser of which currently appears on the Post's web page) Yitzhak says that the IDF does not intend to reinforce the roofs of private homes in the Sharon region that are within Kassam range of the territory to be surrendered because "It would be very difficult to mass produce [Kassam] rockets while the IDF is in control of the territories in Judea and Samaria," and "since we have military and intelligence control over Judea and Samaria."

However, according to the Post, if Israel however decided to withdraw from Judea and Samaria, Yitzhak said that the possibility of beginning to reinforce Sharon-region cities would need to be reevaluated.

In other words, if Olmert carries out his plan, the head of the IDF's home front admits that it would be necessary to re-inforce every single residential roof within missile range of Judea and Samaria (whatever that range happens to be at any given time) so as to make the roofs impenetrable by the missiles available to the 'Palestinians' at that time. And this 'government' is mad enough to put into its coalition guidelines a provision that calls for "a reduction of the areas of Israeli settlement in Judea and Samaria?"

Moreover, we already know what surrendering territory to the 'Palestinians' means: it means moving the front lines closer. Ask the people who live in Sdeort and Netivot and Ashkelon and Netiv HaAsara. They all know what it means. Here's what Yitzhak has to say to them:

Yitzhak called on the residents of the Gaza-belt communities to demonstrate courage and resilience like the settlers in Gaza did during the years of attacks against them.

Is the end for the 'Gaza-belt' communities going to be the same as the end for Gaza? Is Israel going to disengage ? Is Israel going to withdraw ? Is Israel going to surrender the 'Gaza-belt' communities as it did the communities in Gaza? Are we going to surrender the entire Negev? Are we going to surrender the entire country except for North Tel Aviv Sheikh Munis?

Those who went to live in Gaza were sent there by the government, but they at least knew that they were going to live among the Arabs and the risk of what went on for the last five years (other than the surrender) was a risk that they took upon themselves. But anyone who went to live in Ashkelon in the last forty years certainly did not believe that they were taking a risk of putting themselves in missile range. Why should they suddenly accept that risk now? Why should they suddenly have to demonstrate 'courage and resilience'? Why should they have to explain to their children that they have to demonstrate 'courage and resilience' in the face of constant missile attacks because their government has abrogated their security? Why?

Yitzhak continued:

"There has been a terror war here over the past five years and the people of Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip stood courageously in face of the threats," he said. "Now it is the turn of the residents of communities surrounding Gaza, who need to demonstrate patience and resilience to let the defense establishment utilize all of the resources at its disposal to stop the Kassam fire."

Why? When will the government succeed in stopping the Kassam fire? (Answer - never until it goes back into Gaza and they know it). What 'solution' awaits those residents' patience? And how many more of us will have a turn to 'stand courageously in the face of the threats' until this government-imposed madness ends? When will the Not In My BackYard Israeli population wake up and realize that when it's in the next door neighbor's backyard, my backyard is next? Who will be next?

Update 11:45 PM (Hat Tip: Gershon in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York)

Talk about priorities. What's Ehud Olmert's top priority as his army commanders worry whether to reinforce roofs around the country? Watching the Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball game.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:25 PM