Originally posted by Mediocrates
For Israeli leaders as well as for military planners and commanders, the
advent of a Kassam threat in Judea and Samaria can easily change the
calculus of the war. Ben-Eliyahu explains, "When the Palestinians are
limited to fielding Kassams in Gaza only, the question of precision is
important. Sderot is the only relatively large target they can reach. In
Judea and Samaria, on the other hand, if you make a 20-kilometer circle
around a Kassam, you see that Kfar Saba, Ra'anana, Netanya, Petah Tikva
and Jerusalem, as well as Ben-Gurion Airport, are all within range. The
concentration of populated areas is much, much higher, and so the
probability that an imprecise weapon like a Kassam rocket will hit
something is much greater."

Former head of Military Intelligence and commander of the War College,
Maj.-Gen. (res.) Ya'acov Amidror, views the extension of the Kassam range
and its development in Judea and Samaria as symbolic of the trap that
Israel has fallen into by accepting the hudna.

"Today, by accepting the hudna, the government has enabled three processes
to take place in the PA that could not have taken place beforehand," he
says.

"First, it has enabled the Palestinians to acquire and develop new and
more sophisticated weapons systems. Before the hudna and the IDF's
curtailment of counter-terrorist operations, we would destroy the weapons
smuggling tunnels and the weapons workshops. Today, we are not doing this,
and of course, the PA under Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas is doing nothing
against these activities.

"Second, they are rebuilding their terrorist cadres. Because of the
limitations we have placed on our operations - like the cessation of
targeted killings - we have no ability to thwart their mobilization. The
recruitment and training of new cadres is taking place intensively
everywhere that the IDF is not deployed. Again, the PA is doing nothing to
stop this.

"Third, both Islamic Jihad and Hamas are using the respite from IDF
operations to revamp and strengthen their political leadership and
influence over the PA areas and Palestinian society. The fact that both
the EU and the Egyptians met officially with Hamas leaders in the talks
that preceded the hudna has transformed Hamas into a partner of equal
weight with the PLO in the Palestinian leadership."

In sum, Amidror notes, "in accepting the hudna, Israel has not only taken
away its ability to act against the terrorist infrastructure, it has
transferred the initiative of when the fighting will restart to the
Palestinian terror organizations. And all the new weaponry they will be
able to field will be a direct consequence of the hudna."

AS FOR the Kassam, both Amidror and MK Dr. Yuval Steinitz, chairman of the
Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, define the threat of
Kassam rockets in Judea and Samaria as a "strategic threat" to the state.

Steinitz explains, "With the Kassam rockets in Judea and Samaria, the
Palestinians will be able to attack strategic targets at will. Everything
from the Knesset to major highways to Ben-Gurion Airport will be within
range."

Amidror adds, "Can you see British Airways continuing its flights to
Israel after the first Kassam falls on a runway at the airport?" Then too,
"Because the Kassam is a weapon of terror, the Palestinians don't even
need to fire off that many to completely change the fabric of life in the
country. It will be enough for them to fire one rocket every two weeks
into Ra'anana or Kfar Saba and one rocket every few weeks into Jerusalem
to make life unbearable for all Israelis."

Amidror points out that in using the hudna to rebuild and improve their
terror capabilities, the Palestinians are simply following the same
strategy they have used since the PA was formed in 1994.

"Consider the fact that in the Palestinian uprising in 1987-1993, the
deadliest weapon Israel deployed against the Palestinians was a jeep. We
never used tanks or aircraft to fight them. Our resort to those weapons in
the current war is simply an indication of how much deadlier their
abilities have become over the last decade.

"Since the PA's establishment, they have worked steadily to build a
deterrent against Israel to force Israel to erase any red lines it has in
negotiations. In this, they are following the exact strategy used by
Hizbullah to such great effect in Lebanon. They believe that through
terror they will be able to get Israel to leave without an agreement. With
the Kassam they are telling us that they can commit terror attacks against
us without actually having to deploy terrorists to our cities to carry
them out."

From Israel's perspective, Steinitz says, "The next two or three weeks
will be critical for the country. If, over the next few weeks, Abbas
continues to take no action against the Kassam rockets and the rest of the
weapons build-up in the PA, we will have to end the cease-fire. No country
can accept a rocket or artillery threat that can target 70 percent of its
population. That is what the Kassam involves. Non-action is not an
option."


This article can also be read at
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satelli...=1060230919334

Mediocrates, I am envious - but appreciate you sharing your experiences and observations with us all! It shakes my onions when I hear more about "Kassam Rockets" and the impact it has on the brave Israeli citizens... Non-action as you said is not an option. One gets weary of of the rhetorical B.S. one gets from the international community regarding Israel.

I do not comprehend the peaceniks and their "give peace a chance".... when Israel has turned itself inside out and back again doing just that! Whilst, rebuild their arsenal of murder with the intent of murdering Israelis!

I look forward to reading more!
Thanks!