Tel-Chai Nation

With the way that Ariel Sharon's been going around lately, this was pretty much expected:

A grenade was launched over the Gaza fence Tuesday evening toward IDF soldiers patrolling around Moshav Netiv Ha'asara, within Israel's pre-1967 borders. The grenade exploded, but failed to inflict any injuries.

Monday, PA Arabs broke through the Gaza security fence and tried to storm the moshav, which has now become a front-line community. A fence meant to protect the moshav has not yet been completed. The government says that the unfinished fence is a result of the fact that the withdrawal went faster than expected.

A Kassam rocket that landed in Netiv HaAsara earlier this summer killed one woman and badly injured her boyfriend as they sat on her porch.

According to Middle East Newsline, the IDF's top brass do not expect to be allowed to carry out major retaliations for missile and rocket attacks emanating from Gaza, despite strong words to that effect articulated by Defense Minister Sha'ul Mofaz the day of the withdrawal's completion.

Newsline quotes military sources as saying, "The General Staff has assessed that the government of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon would not approve any major combat operation in the Gaza Strip. The sources said the government would instead appeal to the United States and the Palestinian Authority to halt the attacks on the Jewish state."

I think that pretty much answers a lot of the questions here.

Labels: Israel