For the residents of southern Israel the ongoing daily rocket attacks from Hamas-controlled Gaza have become the unwanted reality of their daily lives, but for most, including Israelis living elsewhere in the country, the attacks are simply not part of their lives. Few in number are those counted among non-area residents who internalize the ongoing warfare in southern Israel and the daily potential for injuries, fatalities and widespread destruction of property.

The truth is that for as long as there are no injuries or fatalities chas v’sholom, the attacks are not deemed as newsworthy and the standard Israel Air Force retaliatory aerial assault over Gaza is simply reported as a benign one sentence statement on Israel news, something like “The IAF retaliated for rocket attacks striking terrorist targets in Gaza”. The words no longer register in the minds of most Israelis or Jews abroad, while for the million citizens in rocket range, life has become intolerable and on most days, life-threatening.

On Monday, 13 Cheshvan 5773 for example, at least 20 rockets and mortar shells pounded areas in the south of the country yet the hurricane in North America was a more prominent news story than the fact that residents in the south were running to shelters, literally running for their lives. Not meaning to belittle the destruction resulting from Hurricane Sandy, the areas under rocket fire are less than an hour’s leisurely drive from the capital, yet the government and media relate to the situation as being in a far-off distant land of no concern to us.

Adding to the anger and frustration of southern residents is the knowledge that if one rocket landed in the Tel Aviv area, even without resulting in fatalities or injuries, the IDF would mobilize and a ground incursion would be ordered into Gaza before the terrorists could find a suitable hiding place.

Since the beginning of October 2012 over 140 kassam and katyusha rockets and mortar shells were fired into southern Israel in the silent war, that’s an average of over four rockets daily.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak continue to release their stern warnings and threats against Hamas and other terrorists operating in Gaza, but southern residents know their words are not heeded by terrorists as is seen by the daily rocket fire.

Leaders of southern communities, townships and cities question what normal government tolerates rocket fire over an internationally recognized border into civilian population centers – pointing out that even the United Nations and the international community recognize that Sderot and all the areas of southern Israel are part and parcel of the UN-recognized State of Israel, not “occupied territories” and not part of the “West Bank”, but this is to no avail as the rocket fire continues. They question why Israel uprooted close to 10,000 people, destroyed shuls, mikvaos and yeshivos in Gush Katif, only to bring the rocket fire deeper into Israel. The promises of tranquility of then Prime Minister Ariel Sharon remain unfulfilled and the current administration seems unwilling or incapable of finding a solution.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)