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The Rocket Threat from Gaza
(Ha'aretz) Moshe Arens - With the introduction of the Iron Dome batteries that shield some of the cities in the south, it has become more difficult for the terrorists to cause substantial harm to life and limb in Israel. But in order to decrease the risk of casualties, ordinary life for 1 million Israelis must be suspended when the first rockets hit, and remain suspended until the residents are assured that further rocket attacks are not expected. This uneasy equilibrium cannot last forever. The root cause of this situation is the large quantity of rockets that have been amassed in Gaza, a stockpile of weapons that is continually expanding. The number of rockets and their range keeps increasing, and more and more Israeli cities are coming into range. The threat will continue to grow until the weapons held by the terrorists in Gaza are destroyed and the resupply is blocked. Israel is the only country in the world that is threatened by terrorists who have established themselves within rocket range of its major population centers, threatening its civilian population. It is an untenable situation that cannot continue indefinitely. The writer is a former Israeli defense and foreign minister.