The Red Alert siren sounded again on Monday night, the eve of 9 Iyar 5772. Once again, B’chasdei Hashem, there were no injuries. Nevertheless, for the residents of Sderot and surrounding areas the panic of the siren, the 15-second sprint to safe areas is still part of daily life.

In the local news, such attacks, when there are no reported injuries or damage, rarely earn more than a one-line blurb in the “latest news” section, as if they do not occur. Residents of southern Israel accuse the government of abandoning them, treating them as second class citizens, questioning why it is acceptable for rockets to fly over the international border into their area while if a single rocket hit the Gush Dan area the country would declare war on Hamas.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)