Israel Under Fire: Missile Barrage Hits South
March 11, 2012 16:38 by Simon PloskerOnce again, 1 million Israelis have spent the last 48 hours running to the nearest bomb shelters or their reinforced rooms. Most of the headlines and articles have focused on Israeli air strikes on terrorist targets in Gaza that have resulted in the deaths of over a dozen Palestinians. But what about the impact of some 130 rockets (so far) aimed at Israeli towns and cities?
The Times of London describes rockets being fired at “Israeli border towns” while the Financial Times headlines its story “Escalation in Gaza border violence”. Ashkelon (population 113,000), Ashdod (population 206,000) and Beersheba (population 194,000) are anything but “border towns”.
Likewise, the weaponry deployed by Gazan terrorists is a far cry from “homemade” rockets.
Source: IDF Spokesperson's Unit
Some of the latest information courtesy of the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit:
- More than 130 rockets have been fired from the Gaza Strip at major population centers in southern Israel in the last two days.
- On Friday, March 9, four people were wounded, one severely. On March 10, a mare was killed and a home near Ashdod was damaged by a direct rocket hit.
- In light of the ongoing rocket attacks, schools in many cities and towns in southern Israel are closed on Sunday, March 11.
- Areas targeted include Ashdod, Be’ersheba, Yavne, Netivot and Ashkelon, as well as the Eshkol and Shaar Hanegev regional councils.
- The Iron Dome system intercepted about 90% of the rockets fired at Be’ersheba, Ashdod and Ashkelon.
- The terrorist squads are launching their rockets from densely populated areas in the Gaza Strip, including Bet Lahiya, Jabaliya, Rafah, Gaza, and El-Bureij.
- Despite the rocket barrage, the Erez Crossing into Gaza is open for passengers and employees of international organizations. Kerem Shalom is open for the delivery of 200 truckloads from Israel into Gaza.
Keep an eye out for these issues in your local media:
- Moral equivalence: Is the media distinguishing between pinpoint Israeli strikes against terrorists as opposed to indiscriminate Palestinian rocket attacks purposely targeting Israeli civilians?
- The “Cycle of Violence”: Despite this oft used description in the media, this is not a “cycle of violence”, which apportions equal responsibility and intent to both sides. In this case, as in previous conflict situations, Israel exercised its right to pre-emptive self-defense by targeting a terrorist squad planning a combined terror attack that was to take place via Sinai in the coming days.
- Chronological inversion: Where does your media coverage start? With the launching of missiles from Gaza or the Israeli response? If the focus is on Israeli air strikes, does this skew the coverage to present Israel as the aggressor?
- A “Disproportionate Response“: Is Israel accused of overreacting or responding to Palestinian terrorist activity in a disproportionate manner? For more on this issue, see our Excessive Force presentation below:
If your local media is reporting on the latest events, make sure to take the time to send your emails and letters making it quite clear where responsibility for the violence lies – squarely with the terrorists firing rockets and planning terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians. Make sure that your media is also aware of the suffering of 1 million Israelis living through this latest rocket barrage.
For the latest updates on this fluid situation, follow HonestReporting on Facebook, Twitter and our Backspin blog.
Israel unter Sperrfeuer: Raketenangriffe auf den Süden « Medien BackSpin
4:27 am
Mar 12, 2012
[...] HonestReporting Media BackSpin, 12. März 2012 [...]
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Eugenia
6:46 am
Mar 12, 2012
I’ve read all the comments: people are complaining, explaining that Israeli cities are hit by the
barrage of rockets from Gaza, that Israelis have the right to defend themselves, etc…
You don’t have to explain the right of every sovereign country to defend itself.
Who allowed the Gaza terrorists years after years to bombard Israel? Who created this situation allowing them with impunity attack Israeli territory?
Your government is not defending your people, nor your country, as beggars, they’re asking the permission from US, UN, EU, Russia, China etc to protect you. Are you forgetting that they will never like Jews, whatever you do or say, you’re unique, your country is unique, don’t compromise, you’re fighting for your survival.
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MANNY
3:50 pm
Mar 12, 2012
THIS GUY IS 100% CORRECT.
NEVER APOLOGIZE BECAUSE WHAT ISRAEL IS DOING CORRECT. THE RIGHT THING TO HAVE DONE A LONG TIME AGO AND IT IS STILL RIGHT IF DONE TODAY IS
DESTROY THEM
ONCE AND FOR ALL TIME.
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Nicole
5:37 pm
Mar 23, 2012
Interesting. Let’s examine some facts here. Palestinian people who have lived in the region ‘Phillistines’ you know before Moses Alayhesallam went to Israel are the Natives. Remember these are the people the earliest Jew’s were fighting against to obtain Israel. Now present day, Jews were killed by the Millions by Nazi Germany. It was an attempt to wipe Jewish people out of Europe. This is an unjust action. Would you agree or disagree? I am sure every Jew that would read this would shutter at the idea that some one would suggest for a moment that the Holocaust against Jew’s was morally justified. Me as a Muslim, I do not believe it was the right thing to do. But you, a peace loving, morally righteous person can tell me that doing what Hitler did to the Jew’s to the Palestinian’s is appropriate behavior. There were Arabs from Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco that fought along side the French to free Jewish people. In fact , in Tunisia there are still a few still alive the receive pensions from France. Have you forgotten that your people were oppressed and murdered like dogs? You want to live in the Holy land. Jew’s want to live in the holy land but spread peace? One can hardly do so when building walls like that of the Berlin wall. The currently foreign policy of the Israeli’s would not be tolerated ANY WHERE in the world. It is only tolerated because American population currently holding the most powerful seat in the world allocates it. There can be no peace with out justice. I am not saying that Palestinian’s do not commit their fair share of crimes against humanity. I know about the murder of the sleeping baby and I am TRULY DISGUSTED. I do not have to justify anything in order to understand the mindset of the Palestinian people. The death toll of Palestinian children are fair higher than the death toll of Israel citizens. Just speaking on children here. Israeli’s can attempt from now until hell freezes over to convince the world that half of the actions done by the IDF are justifiable but the God you worship will NOT agree. My honest belief for a peaceful solution to the whole Palestinian/Israeli problem would be the straight removal of ANY Israeli Jew, Christian Palestinian, or Muslim Palestinian to a list of host countries. Those who wish to remain in the holy land would have to treat it as just that. HOLY. A place of worship. Not a place for blood shed and excuses as to why it is justifiable. For any one who wants to bark and cry screaming Israel is a place for the Jew’s you’re not better or less than the Palestinians. You just have the money, the media influence and the power of powerful Western allies behind you. Doesn’t make it right or your actions excusable.
Final note. What comes around goes around. Remember it wasn’t the Muslim’s that killed a projected 6 million Jew’s. It was Christian Germany. there will come a time when Nukes will be pointless. Once everyone arms themselves the possibility and continued use of excessive force will come to a halt. Technology is brewing. What will the Israeli’s who participate in the horrid acts of human violence do when the very ANGRY surrounding arab countries eventually develop unity on the same level as the Israeli’s have? Unfortunately, I believe it will only be the peace loving Jew’s who didn’t have the intention to harm any one who will bear the brunt of the punishment. You can only kick a dog so many times before eventually it comes for you. Stop your insanity.
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Steven Muller
11:08 pm
Mar 23, 2012
Nicole, you have a very distorted view of facts and history. The modern Palestinians have absolutely NO genetic relationship to the ancient Philistines. The land was renamed Palestine in the early 2nd Century by the Romans in retribution for the Bar Kochba revolt. The wall was built to prevent suicide bombers from easily accessing innocent Israeli civilians and murdering them. No suicide bombers- no wall. There has NEVER been an Israeli policy to deliberately target civilians. The numbers couldn’t possibly approach those of the Jewish victims. In 1929, before there was a state of Israel, before there was an IDF, before there was an Israeli government policy, Jews were massacred in Hebron. For what? The “crime” of buying property. So you see, it was actually the Arabs who are intolerant, the Arabs who feared living in a state in which the Jews were more than just an oppressed minority, the Arabs who are the apartheidists.
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Nicole
5:40 pm
Mar 23, 2012
When you say that killing innocents of Palestine many children, and defenseless people is correct you are saying that Nazi Germany was correct. Hitler used the excuse to murder Jew’s from the actions of Zionists and unfortunately innocent Jew’s suffered the consequences. If you truly believe that Israel is correct on the murder of innocents and claim casualties of wars is a reality therefore justifying it, people who think like you have absolutely no room to speak or seek sympathy for what happened to the Jew’s in Europe. Shame on you and those like you. There is a G-D and G-D will judge you and those like minded.
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Clayton Peterson
4:00 pm
Mar 12, 2012
Why is this not in the news here in the US ? Why do I read headlines of Israel’s airstrikes first, and then eventually, after hunting, find that it is in response to “25″ rockets (not 130) fired into Israel?
Thank you for giving me a more accurate and truthful report of what is happening.
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sick of lies
5:11 am
Mar 13, 2012
I am disgusted that living in the USA requires being tolerant of UNQUESTIONED media bias—without shame or apology! I am sick of being lied to by USA media editors that play their political games to LIE to the American public. I am sick that the American public cannot stomach the truth.
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nursecrd
2:15 pm
Mar 13, 2012
The main point here is that people are no longer taught to think for themselves or outside of a box. Critical thinking is no longer taught and objectivity is something most people cannot understand and probably cannot spell either.
Most editors and journalists come from schools with leftist leaning and that generally means supporting the oppressed even when Israel is not the issue. The Palestinians are oppressed but by Hamas and others. The Israelis have nothing to do with their issues but we are lead to think they do. And why is this so? The so-called Progressives are anti-semites to begin with. Many of them are Jews who hate being Jews or are ashamed of being Jews because they have been brainwashed into believing that they are bad people.
I am a Jew and a child of Holocaust survivors. I have become more conservative and more right wing and have discovered that the Progressives and their friends in the media are trying to brainwash the American public and world opinion. I am not a fan of Rush Limbaugh nor am I a fan of the GOP as I find them just as loathsome as the Democrats.
What I have learned to do is to get information about an event from both sides and look for common themes in the story. The common theme is the truth. As to Americans being unable to handle the truth, they can but our friends in the MSM do not want them to know it.
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Karin Berryman
4:11 am
Mar 14, 2012
Same here in Australia. The report just highlights strife between Israel and Gaza, nothing specific. Exactly the same with Islamic violence wrought on anyone who can’t defend themselves throughout the world; ‘ethnic strife’ ‘clashes’ between Chinese huigers and Chinese HAN, Egyptian CHRISTIANS and islamic terrorists, Nigerian/Indonesian (choose whichever national massacres you’re aware of) CHRISTIANS and Nigerian/Indonesian PEOPLE, MUSLIMS. Never are the islamists identified as the aggressors! The whole media worldwide is infiltrated! Disgusted!!!
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Israel Truth Week update – March 14/12 | Israel Truth Week
9:18 pm
Mar 14, 2012
[...] HonestReporting.com, March 11/12: Israel under fire: Missile barrage hits south [...]
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Israel Under Fire: Missile Barrage Hits South; One Million Israelis Seek Protective Shelter | The Conservative Papers
5:59 am
Mar 15, 2012
[...] organizations. Kerem Shalom is open for the delivery of 200 truckloads from Israel into Gaza. VN:F [1.9.15_1155]calculating…Rating: 0.0/10 (0 votes cast)Source material can be found at this [...]
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Mr. Light-Bright
8:45 pm
Mar 20, 2012
Speaking of: The “Cycle of Violence,” what people in the media fail to see is that this is what happens when one side, which has lost the game(war), does not admit to defeat.
Ever play the board game of “Risk?” a player can get overwhelmed early in the game and lose; HOWEVER some players who lose, are so aggressive, they threaten the peace with the other players/observers in the room! So in order to maintain United-N peace in the room with the other players, the other players allow the sore loser (one who is defeated) to stay in the game, with a reduced army.
Such is the situation in the Palestinian/Israeli conflict.
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Len Abenstein
10:05 pm
Mar 20, 2012
I am both horrified & upset that we are not hearing anything about the rockets being fired into Isreal anywhere but your site. I have always leaned to the right, but have always thought we should give everyone a chance to see that the Palestians are not trying to do anything but stall for time, & change world opinion by playing the weak sister card. I think that the time has past for just waiting for the world to see what is going on. It is time for Israel to stand up for it’s citizens. It is time to put out the ultimatem if they can’t stop the rockets that we will. No one should have to live under the threat of bombs falling on their head everyday. It must stop now or we have no recourse but to protect our people!
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Len Abenstein
10:06 pm
Mar 20, 2012
I am both horrified & upset that we are not hearing anything about the rockets being fired into Isreal anywhere but your site. I have always leaned to the right, but have always thought we should give everyone a chance to see that the Palestians are not trying to do anything but stall for time, & change world opinion by playing the weak sister card. I think that the time has past for just waiting for the world to see what is going on. It is time for Israel to stand up for it’s citizens. It is time to put out the ultimatem if they can’t stop the rockets that we will. No one should have to live under the threat of bombs falling on their head everyday. It must stop now or we have no recourse but to protect our people! Enough is enough
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¿Cómo se “esconden” más de 100 misiles lanzados en contra de Israel? « Unidos x Israel
5:47 pm
Mar 29, 2012
[...] se encuentran en la línea de fuego de los grupos terroristas. Fuente HonestReporting Los medios informativos en español publicaron artículos (en su mayoría, [...]
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Israel Under Fire: Missile Barrage Hits South | Honest Reporting
8:42 am
Aug 13, 2012
[...] over 1 million Israelis under an unrelenting barrage of Palestinian rockets from Gaza. HonestReporting.com asks, "Is your media covering events accurately and [...]
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