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Avi Farhan
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Sderot claims state obligated to respond to Qassams

Group of Sderot residents petition High Court, demand government allow army to respond to incessant Qassam fire even if civilians at risk

A group of residents from the battered town of Sderot have decided on a unique course of action against the unremitting rocket fire directed at their homes from Gaza, announcing they would petition the High Court to force Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to instruct the army to respond.

 

The initiative is credited to Sderot resident Avi Farhan – who was evacuated from the settlements of Yamit and Elei Sinai when Israel pulled out of the Sinai Desert in Egypt and the Gaza Strip, in 1981 and 2005 respectively.

 

Farhan said he has been considering the idea for months and decided to put it into action on Tuesday following the heavy barrage of rockets on Sderot which wounded dozens of residents and caused substantial damage to homes, shops and an elementary school.

 

Farhan's chief argument is that there is no need for a large scale ground incursion into Gaza but rather that the army should fire at cells launching Qassam rockets from afar, even if that method of operation endangers civilians.

 

Gaza residents, said Farhan, need to know that the continued launching of rockets from their territory puts them and their families in harms way and therefore they must do everything possible to prevent it.

 

Sderot residents have petitioned the High Court on two occasions in the past to solicit the government to provide the funds needed to fortify homes and schools in the rocket-battered city.

 

The correspondence between Farhan and Olmert began last December. In a letter sent to the prime minister, the defense minister and other ministers, he stated that "since the first rocket was fired at Sderot on April 16, 2001, over 2,500 rockets have been fired at the city.

 

"These have caused hundreds of casualties, including the loss of eight precious lives. The ceasefire declared on November 26, 2006 did not stop the rocket fire and in the past month alone, some 60 rockers were launched at the area.

 

"It seems that this trend has long since become a routine and will remain so for the upcoming week.

 

"The Israeli government's formal policy, as of writing this letter, is a 'policy of restraint, namely, giving free reign to Qassam launchers to keep shooting at population centers in Israel.

 

"With all due respect, there is no place for this unreasonable and unethical policy - and it is doubtful if it can even be called a policy, which exposes a community to an existential threat while avoiding responsibility for the wellbeing and security of citizens of the state.

 

"With this policy, the state denies its responsibility towards its citizens and residents."

 

In response to Farhan's letter, Olmert said, "Residents of Sderot and Gaza vicinity communities are very dear to me and I meet with their representatives frequently to examine their needs and help them deal with their difficulties.

 

"We are constantly working with all the tools available to us - military, political and economic - in order to lighten the difficulties faced by Gaza vicinity residents…It should be emphasized that the defense establishment has the authority to operate against the Qassam launchers during attacks to thwart terror activity."

 

The prime minister's answer did not satisfy Farhan and he will file his petition Wednesday morning in order to try and ensure an IDF response to rocket attacks.

 


פרסום ראשון: 05.16.07, 08:10
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