A post by Maynard
Ever since Israel withdrew from Gaza and Hamas took over, southern Israel has been bombarded by rockets. The Israeli government is squeezed between citizens demanding the rocket fire be stopped, and other nations objecting to anything Israel might do to stop it.
Here is one man’s solution:
Ashkelon resident Moshe Nissimpor decided that the best way to halt rocket fire from Gaza — in light of what he terms the government’s failure to do so — is some vigilante justice.
Nissimpor developed a homemade 200-millimeter ballistic missile which he planned to launch from Ashkelon into the Gaza Strip.
“From this day onwards, we will push back to the stone age every place which dares shoot missiles into Israel’s sovereign territory,” he said Wednesday. “It is time the world understood Israelis’ lives are not expendable.”
“I’m afraid this is the only language the Palestinians understand, and this is the language in which we’ll speak to them. I have many Gazan Palestinian friends who live as Hamas hostages. Once we bring an end to the rocket fire, Gaza’s residents will also live in peace,” he said.
Mr. Nissimpor took his rocket to town, but it was seized by police as he prepared for launch. I’m guessing that Nissimpor felt he made his point.
The city of Ashkelon had previously been pretty much out of range of Gazan rockets, but it started to take hits in recent days. Hamas has apparently made good on its pledge to expand its range of targets:
Hamas is improving its rocket technology, and will soon be able to hit “any target in Israel,” Reuters quoted a senior member of the organization, Fathi Hamad, saying Friday at a rally in the Gaza Strip.
These new rockets (from Iran, of course) have raised the internal pressure on Israel to take stronger action. This has prompted recent Israeli raids against rocket launchers.
Finally a civilian who has more courage and sense then the corrupt leaders of Israel.