Four companies of IDF soldiers on Wednesday folded the flag and left the Zikim Base in southern Israel, in compliance with an IDF decision prompted by the frequency of Kassam rocket attacks in the area.

Residents are fuming over the fact that the area it too dangerous for new IDF inductees, but they are compelled to remain in their home while the military seems incapable of stopping the attacks.

The decision to close the training base was made in July by Deputy IDF Chief of Staff Dan Harel. Military officials insist the decision is not due to the rockets, but as part of a larger plan to curtail the number of training bases and reorganize based on other criteria.

One senior officer serving on the base told the daily Yisrael HaYom that the “the decision is utterly ridiculous” since only half the base if being relocated while the remaining soldiers will stay where they are. “It is a decision not to decide. The three remaining companies [lack sufficient manpower to operate and therefore they] cannot operate effectively. It will resemble a chicken coop. They will do sentry duty and nothing else,” the senior officer is quoted as saying.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)