Sderot. I suppose my lack of comment on this situation is a bit odd. Well, no, partly it's just lack of time. Partly it's lack of words. Partly it's lack of comprehension, inability to process and therefore inability to express a coherent thought. I don't know when things slipped over this edge of sanity into a place where nothing makes sense any more. Not U.S. policy, not Israeli policy (or apparent lack thereof), certainly not whatever passes for "policy" on the part of the insane homicidal maniacs who are "running" the Palestinian Authority, running whatever hope (such as it was) of any sort of peaceful solution to the "conflict" straight into the ground. Even the Egyptians can see that. Even some of the so-called palestinian arab "leaders" can see that.
Reality: the community of Sderot has been enduring intermittant rocket attacks for six years now. Israel withdrew from Gaza, ended the "occupation," destroyed dozens of its own communities and the lives of their residents, and the attacks intensified. Some of the attacks are now launched from empty fields where, less than two years ago, healthy, happy children played and greenhouses spilled out abundant produce and flowers and people worked and prayed. On Tuesday, at least 21 kassams fired; on Wednesday, yet more, with evacuation being seriously discussed; on Thursday, at least seven in the morning, one hitting a high school, about two dozen more later in the day, this time hitting a synagogue; this morning, three more, now they're reporting eleven [update: fifteen] today. One Jerusalem has video. Rick Richman has photos. Meryl Yourish has first person reports.
This is bad enough. This is worse than bad. This is horrible. No one should have to live this way. These people have done nothing to deserve this. Nothing, that is, other than to try to live their lives in the State of Israel which, by the account of some, is a crime. But it gets worse. Much worse. Because when Israel makes its pitifully small and ineffective threats and attempts at retaliation for these atrocities -- not even retaliation, really, so much as an effort to simply slow down and discourage the attacks, it is met with the likes of this:
Hamas today threatened to resume suicide bombings after Israeli planes launched air strikes against the militant Palestinian group in Gaza.
The three aerial attacks destroyed a Hamas compound, hit a car carrying two senior commanders and a trailer used by the Islamist group, killing three people and wounding scores of others.
Israel confirmed all three air strikes. It had earlier threatened "harsh" action in response to repeated Palestinian rocket attacks. More than 50 rockets have fallen on the Israeli town of Sderot in the last three days. Seven struck Sderot today, one hitting a school and leaving two people slightly injured.
The Israeli actions, including the deployment of tanks just inside Gaza, added a new dimension to Palestinian infighting and drew an ominous response from Hamas.
"This is an open war launched against Hamas. All options are open, including martyrdom operations," Abu Ubaida, a spokesman for the organisation's armed wing, said.
Only in the demented universe that Hamas inhabits can you launch more than 50 rockets against a largely defenseless village in three days and then claim that a defensive attack against you is "an open war launched" against you. Only in that dark, twisted place do the mass murderers become the victims and the victims become the aggressors. It's sick. It's just beyond rational comprehension.
But it plays. It plays across the vast expanse of bleeding heart, ignorant, no doubt well intentioned self righteous sympathizers with the plight, the cause, the "humiliation" of the palestinian arabs. They look at this picture and see black as white and up as down and everything turned inside out.
And our State Department, that U.S. agency charged with protecting our interests abroad through diplomacy and its razor sharp grasp of the intricacies and nuances of international relations, comes out with this:
Well, President Abbas is committed to ending violence. He has never -- he has always been somebody that has shunned the use of terror. He has counseled against it. He is somebody who has actively worked for peace. He is somebody who has actively advocated for negotiations as opposed to the use of violence to realize a Palestinian state. We are urging all parties to exercise restraint. We understand the Israeli Government has a right to defend itself and they have explained that their actions, just over the past day or so, have been in reaction to stopping -- trying to stop further rocket launches into Israeli territory, rocket launches that have injured Israeli citizens.
But we've also urged them to consider the consequences of their actions in defending themselves on Palestinian infrastructure as well as on what effect it might have on the prospects for moving forward the political process. But we know that Prime Minister Olmert is somebody who is committed to working actively on that political track.
Clearly, Sean McCormack inhabits yet another universe, somewhere over the rainbow.
So what is there to say in the face of all this? And who to say it to? Some days, I feel like I'm watching a train wreck, a horrible train wreck that will cost untold thousands of lives and the end of the world as we know it, right in front of me, in slow motion. What will the world look like after it's all over? I suspect it will look a lot like this. And this.
By the way, a belated happy birthday to BBC journalist Alan Johnston, who also "celebrated" his 66th day in captivity in Gaza yesterday.
