Rocket attack takes place while Obama makes his visit
JERUSALEM (AP) - Palestinian militants in Gaza fired two rockets on Thursday at southern Israel, on the second day of President Barack Obama's visit to the region, Israeli police said.They may admit that the Hamas are Islamic, but they don't call them terrorists.
One of the rockets exploded in the courtyard of a house in the border town of Sderot early in the morning, causing damage but no injuries, said police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld. The other landed in an open field.
Obama was miles away in Jerusalem at the time, preparing to visit the Israel Museum. Later in the day he is due to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
As a presidential candidate in 2008, Obama visited Sderot, which is frequently targeted by rocket attacks from the nearby Gaza Strip. The militant Islamic group Hamas has ruled Gaza since 2007 after ousting the rival Palestinian Fatah group in bloody street fighting. Fatah and the Palestinian Authority, led by Abbas, now govern part of the West Bank only.
"We will be closely watching Palestinian President Abbas today to see if he condemns these attacks from Gaza against Israeli civilians," a senior Israeli government official in Jerusalem said after the attack.
But what does it matter if Abbas "condemns" the attack? It's only bound to be taqqiya.
Update: here's more on the subject at Commentary.
Labels: anti-semitism, islam, Israel, jihad, terrorism, United States