Ashkelon mayor: We won’t let terror dictate our lives
Following rocket which hit city center Tuesday morning, Benny Vaknin says 'residents are strong,' but urges government to fortify education institutions immediately. Likud Chairman Netanyahu visits landing site, vows to bring Hamas down
Ashkelon residents tried to keep cool Tuesday morning, despite the rocket which landed in the city center at around 7 am, causing damage and panic.
According to Moshe Yanai, head of the municipality's education department, only 35% of the students came to school Tuesday. The rocket exploded not far from the municipal education district.
Ashkelon's schools opened as planned Tuesday, but Vaknin stressed, "We once against call on the government to immediately fortify the education institutions, and first of all those which have no fortification at all: 10 schools and 22 kindergartens."
Addressing the call issued by the local parents' committee not to send the children to the schools and kindergartens following the rocket fire, the mayor said that "they should have taken part in the discussion together with all the professional elements before issuing a statement to the public. The uncoordinated statement caused a lot of confusion among the parents."
Bus damaged by rocket (Photo: Tsafrir Abayov)
Likud Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu visited the landing site in the late morning hours and was greeted by the mayor. His remarks were interrupted by quite a few residents who demanded practical solutions.
Netanyahu blamed "Kadima's policy of blindness" for the situation and vowed to bring the Hamas government down and end the rocket fire.
One of the residents shouted at him, "Enough talking, promise us you won't appoint Ehud Barak as defense minister," but the opposition chairman didn't respond.
'We can’t go on like this'
Leah Mirelashvili and her two-year-old daughter Dorit arrived at the landing site. Her child clung to her and appeared terrified. Their house was hit by shrapnel in the morning and the mother cried, "Look at my daughter – she's still afraid of war. Every sound of a plane and every small noise makes her jump.
"My son passes here every day on his way to school, and only thinking about it terrifies me. We can't go on living like this. Whey did they leave Gaza?" she asked.
Netanyahu spoke to the woman and calmed her down. "He promised me everything would be okay," she said later.
The narrow forum comprised of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni met Tuesday morning to discuss the renewed escalation and the Israeli response to the rocket fire.
Meanwhile Tuesday, Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit announced NIS 20 million (about $5 million) in aid would be allocated to local authorities in southern Israel. The decision was made in coordination with the Finance Ministry following Operation Cast Lead in Gaza.
Sheetrit said, "As a former mayor, I am well aware of the efforts and financial demands the head of a local authority faces during an emergency."
Roni Sofer contributed to this report
