5 Qassam rockets land near Sderot
After five days without Qassams, truce violated once again Tuesday afternoon with five rockets landing in open areas near southern town; no injuries reported. PA officials accuse Islamic Jihad
Palestinian Authority officials said that the Islamic Jihad was responsible for the fire, but the organization refused to claim responsibility.
Security forces continued to search the area in an attempt to locate the exact landing place.
The last rocket landed in the area about five days ago. Some 23 rockets landed in Israel since the ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians was declared.
Albert Gabai, one of the active residents of Sderot, said that "although there is a constant feeling of where will the Qassam get us, we have suddenly started seeing people going out, and businesses have felt a slight move forward.
"And now, the rockets come here and ruin everything, and everything goes backwards. My wife has already informed me that she is not taking the children to their group activities today for fear of the Qassam rockets."
'Preparing for an escalation'
Alon Shcuster, head of the Shaar Hanegev Regional Council, said: "We are aware of the fact that we are sitting on a barrel of explosives, and according to the estimates of the Southern Command and security forces officials, escalation is at the door. It is unfortunate that the Israeli government continues to make a mockery of itself by not telling the truth.
"It is unfortunate that they are not willing to deal with fortifying the houses and the education facilities in Sderot and the Gaza vicinity. We enjoyed the ceasefire, but we are entering a process of preparing for an escalation. Reality entails that they work to fortify the area as nothing new has been done since then."
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert referred to the Palestinian issue during his visit to Berlin Tuesday, saying that "the Quartet's conditions are an inseparable part of the basis on which the talks with the Palestinians can be held.
"It's no secret that we are holding talks in order to encourage negotiations on the basis of these principles. I believe that what is important is to strengthen the moderate elements in the Palestinian Authority in order to abide by the ceasefire, halt terror and establish a Palestinian government which will be recognized in the world and advance the diplomatic process," Olmert said.
Defense Minister Amir Peretz told soldiers Tuesday during a visit to the Central Command that "there is no doubt that the success of your activity creates a sense of security among the citizens of Israel, this is not obvious. The ceasefire in Gaza does not reflect on this area. We are looking into the effects of the ceasefire in Gaza, but here the activity will continue as usual."
Peretz stressed that "we must make a clear distinction between the war against Palestinian terror and the Palestinian people. The State of Israel is not willing to compromise in the war on terror, and on the other hand is doing everything in order to allow and improve the Palestinian life fabric. We must remember that the equation is that the higher the distress, there is a larger potential for terror."
Ali Waked contributed to the report
