[Atlanta Journal-Constitution] Tim Williams - On a recent sun-drenched and unseasonably warm winter afternoon in the Israeli town of Sderot, near the Gaza border, I noticed the near empty sidewalks, yards and parks. Almost no children were outside at play because of daily Kassam rockets fired from Palestinian-controlled and Hamas-governed Gaza. This wasn't the scenario envisioned by the Land for Peace movement. Most believed that the rocket attacks would cease once the 9,000 Jewish settlers abandoned their homes and Israel withdrew from Gaza in August 2005. Almost 4,000 rockets later, that hope has evaporated. It is estimated that close to 5,000 people in Sderot have already given up and moved to other parts of Israel. The plight of Sderot has many others in Israel and around the world questioning the wisdom of returning additional territory if the Palestinians will not even recognize Israel's basic right to exist.
2008-02-21 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive