JNW HEADLINE NEWS

Gaza settlers: There is no ceasefire here
By Jerusalem Newswire Editorial Staff

January 24th, 2005

JERUSALEM - Jewish residents of the Gaza Strip Sunday reacted angrily to the Sharon government’s assertion that “Palestinian” aggression against Israelis in the area had virtually ceased, and accused political and military officials of concealing the truth about ongoing attacks.

The government and much of the Israeli media have gone to pains to positively spin PA leader Mahmoud Abbas’s efforts to broker a temporary terrorist ceasefire.

Media analyst Aaron Lerner noted the relative quiet would be more correctly attributed to the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha, rather than a true desire on the part of Abbas or the terrorists to bring an end to the bloodshed.

The government’s failure to acknowledge that terror had not ceased, Lerner said, would only encourage the terrorists to continue their campaign to slaughter Israel’s Jews.

Has quiet prevailed?
 

“After a long period of Palestinian terrorism and intensive operations by our
security forces against terror, quiet has prevailed,” Sharon told Sderot Mayor Eli Moyal during Sunday’s cabinet meeting in the beleaguered Negev town.

The prime minister was referring to Abbas’s efforts to convince the “Palestinian” terror groups to temporarily halt attacks against Israelis in order to allow him to extract further concessions through negotiations.

Abbas ordered his forces to deploy throughout northern Gaza last week in order to prevent Kassam rocket attacks on Sderot, but did not give the authority to actually arrest the terrorists.

Sharon said it was still too early to determine “if there has been a genuine change in the situation.”

IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Ya’alon, on the other hand, was quoted by media sources as telling the cabinet “there is absolute quiet in the [Gaza] Strip.”

Sharon spokesman Rana’an Gissin later clarified the prime minister’s comments for reporters, saying Sharon was speaking only of Sderot when referring to the recent calm.

Ongoing terror

But in an effort give the impression of a wider cessation of terror, the Sharon government and IDF officials at the weekend failed to confirm numerous “Palestinian” attacks on Jews in the Gaza Strip.

Left-leaning media outlets also chose to overlook the acts of violence, which included continued mortar attacks on civilian communities.

“Palestinian” aggression in Gaza continued Monday with a Kassam rocket attack on the settlement of Ganei Tal, an anti-tank missile attack on soldiers and several shooting incidents.

Furious victims

Gaza’s Jews responded to the establishment’s diplomatically motivated, apathetic approach to their plight with anger.

“We know very well the difference between terrorist shooting and our soldiers' return fire,” one resident of Kfar Darom told Arutz 7 after the IDF Spokesman reported a half-hour shooting attack on Saturday as a “a single burst of terrorist fire that caused no casualties and no damage.”

“There is no doubt that the terrorists fired directly at our houses throughout the incident. One bullet shattered a window in one home - only miraculously was no one hurt - and a tree branch fell elsewhere and damaged a playground,” the eyewitness said.

Katif Bloc spokesman Eran Sternberg charged, “The government is interested in covering up what is really going on since Sharon doesn't want to ruin the peace festivities.”

“It is very comfortable to lie and to say that things are quiet when they really aren't,” Sternberg added.

“There is no ceasefire,” stated Alei Sinai resident Avi Farhan.

Farhan noted the “government thinks that since there aren't Kassams landing in Sderot and people aren't getting killed then there is a ceasefire when in reality attacks are continuing against the Gaza Strip settlers.”

Encouraging violence
 

Lerner, who directs the Independent Media Review & Analysis organization, said the government’s approach represented a real danger to the settlers.

Lerner said the duplicitous attitude towards the Gaza settlers would give the terrorists the impression “that Jew hunting season is over in Sderot but continues beyond the Green Line.”