Sderot: Qassam lands near school
House near school sustains slight damages, no injuries reported. Another rocket falls outside town. Delegation of British Labor MPs, members of House of Lords tours Sderot Wednesday, 'shocked' by visit
The school system in Sderot was on strike again Thursday, but the local parents association said it was inclined to end the strike on Friday.
Fifteen large, hollowed-out concrete blocks, called a "migunit" will be dispersed Thursday in Sderot's open spaces to provide cover against the Qassams for people caught out on the street during an attack.
A delegation of British Labor MPs and members of the House of Lords toured the rocket-stricken town of Sderot on Wednesday, as part of a visit to Israel organized by the Labor Friends of Israel.
Baroness Janet Royall, who is a British government spokeswoman, told Ynetnews she found the visit "deeply shocking."
"I understand much better the people here who must live under these difficulties," Royall said, adding that she was struck by "their anxieties and the way in which their lives cannot be normal."
Baroness Amos (left), Michael Dickson and Barbara Keeley MP briefed by Sderot police officer (Photo: StandWithUs )
"It must be very difficult to live under such tension. We saw the Qassam rockets, that was extraordinary, the number of rockets. And then talking to the head teacher in the school, I found that useful and interesting, and it made me much more aware of the day to day realities of people's lives," she said.
Royall, who is visiting Israel for the first time, denied that the UK media largely ignored Sderot. "When I was in Israel, I turned on Sky News and it was one of the top stories," she said, adding that she thought the town was receiving increasing media coverage in Britain. "What this visit will mean is that I'm much better informed when I respond to questions," Royall said.
'First-hand knowledge of life under rocket attacks'
Labor MP Barbara Keeley said visiting schools in Sderot formed a main focus of the visit. "We wanted particularly to visit the schools. We understand Sderot is under attack by Qassam rockets much of the time. This became much more urgent following the rocket attack on a kindergarten on Monday," she said.
"We do have debates on the Israel Palestine situation in parliament and we've been asked questions. This will form part of what people like me and others can say. We now have first-hand knowledge of what it's like to live under rocket attacks," Keeley added.
On Thursday, members of the delegation are scheduled to meet with the Quartet's envoy to the region, Tony Blair, and discuss their visit with him.
Also on Thursday, the British parliamentary chairman of the Conservative Friends of Israel, James Arbuthnot, will visit Sderot, to assess the security situation in the town.
Shmulik Hadad contributed to the report
