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Commentary:
As was previously posted on this blog, Olmert suddenly is talking offensively, rather than defensive protection of the citizens he governs. While he is very correct regarding the use of the term evacuation — in the context of causing a permanent retreat from a place, but what Olmert apparently means is forcing the citizens and children of Sderot, Ashkelon and other bordering locations to cower in their unreinforced homes and in their unprotected schools and ganim and in uninhabitable “bomb shelters” while Olmert commands the IDF to spend millions in bombing empty fields rather than bombing locations where the terrorists use human shield to protect themselves, their Kassams and other weapons and ammo.
Dr. Aaron Lerner of IMRA adds this based on a quote from Sunday’s cabinet meeting communique;
Prime Minister Olmert emphasized that one of the main issues related to home front defense is the reinforcement and protection of structures. The Government’s position on this issue is that it is only the Government that needs to decide on priorities regarding the reinforcement and protection of structures and thus it will act.
[IMRA: Above comment is in rejection of a rejet decision of the Supreme Court rejecting the “RFYL” system currently in place in the schools in Sderot. Under “RFYL” children have no more than 15 second to literally run for their lives and reach reinforced sections of the school buildings from the time that a warning of an incoming rocket is sounded to impact. Prime Minister Olmert takes the position that while he recognizes that Hamas is getting stronger by the day he has no intention to launch a major IDF operation to stop Hamas and at the same time has no intention to spend the considerable sums of money that would be required to protect the Israeli citizens within rocket range.]
Note: “RFYL” system is an acronym for Run for Your Lives.
In Olmert’s absurd mindset, Jews are expendable in the name of distorted Western “morality.”
For other recent blog posts on Sderot and Home Front Command, click here. MB
PM: Home Front Protected Adequately (AP and Jerusalem Post)
Excerpts;
Israel must invest more in offensive rather than defensive mechanisms to face enemy threats, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told the Cabinet on Sunday.
“We won’t become obsessive. We must not arrive at hysteric or popular conclusions regarding defense,” said Olmert, responding to criticism that the country wasn’t doing enough to protect the home front.
Olmert added that he was not interested in arguing with the Supreme Court. “The government, and only the government, is the authority that needs to make decisions on the subject of protecting [Gaza communities],” he said at the opening of the weekly cabinet meeting, referring to a recent court order for police to expand the fortification of schools in Sderot.
However, he stressed that “we are not engaging in a conflict with the Supreme Court – certainly not fighting with it,” and added that “all I’m saying is that on this subject, we have to operate in keeping with the recommendations of the defense establishment and the Home Front Command.”
“There is still a lot left to be done on the matter,” Olmert continued. “We must take action according to allocated resources and priorities – all these are the tasks of the government which will… make decisions itself,” said the prime minister.
Olmert warned against evacuating residents from the rocket-hit western Negev.
“The national sport of ‘who will scare more residents way from danger zones’ threatens the stability of the country during times of emergency,” Olmert warned. “Whoever evacuates Sderot will determine the fate of Ashkelon, and then afterwards, the fate of Ashdod,” he added.
PM: I Don’t Want to Fight Court Over Gaza-area School Reinforcement, by Barak Ravid (Haaretz)
Olmert, Beinisch, Exchange Fire Over Sderot, by Gil Ronen (Israel National News)
Terrorists Killed Firing Kassam Rockets, by Hillel Fendel (Israel National News)
Excerpts;
“The issue of reinforcing schools in Sderot against rockets continues to be a matter of controversy. The Supreme Court refused last week a government request to discuss the issue again, and therefore its directive remains in effect to have the school buildings reinforced by the time the school year begins. Parents say they won’t send their children to school on September 1 if the buildings are not satisfactorily protected by then – which they are not expected to be.”
“Prime Minister Ehud Olmert responded angrily to the Court decision, saying that it was the government’s prerogative to decide where and to what extent to provide reinforcement. ‘We must not reinforce ourselves to death,’ he told the Cabinet.”
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