Dichter: 250,000 under Qassam threat if we don't act
'Palestinians conducting war of attrition against Negev communities,'
internal security minister tells cabinet. 'We must not allow any mistakes
that may raise the number of Israeli communities facing the Qassam threat'
Roni Sofer YNET Published: 12.09.07, 12:35 / Israel News
www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3480533,00.html

Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter warned Sunday of a tenfold increase
in the number of Israelis subjected to a "war of attrition" should Ashkelon
and nearby communities also fall under the threat of Palestinian terror and
Qassam rocket fire.

"We must check to see where we went wrong and deal with the problem of
Sderot if we do not want to face the same problem when Ashkelon, Ofakim and
Netivot will enter the cycle of rocket fire and terror," he said during the
weekly cabinet meeting. "We must complete the fortification plan for Sderot
and the communities surrounding the Gaza Strip."

According to him, Palestinian terror organizations, led by Hamas, are
"conducting a war of attrition" against Sderot and the rest of the western
Negev communities.

The minister said the number of Israelis facing the threat of Palestinian
terror may increase from 25,000 to 250,000.

"Qassam attacks are being carried out daily and we have also seen an
increase in mortar fire directed at IDF bases near the Strip," Dichter told
the ministers. "Statistics indicating an 8% drop in the number of students
in Sderot are extremely worrying. We must not allow any mistakes that may
raise the number of Israeli communities facing the Qassam threat."

During the cabinet meeting, ministers were updated by IDF Home Front Command
officials on the progress made in the fortification of educational and
public institutions in the Negev region, which is expected to cost between 1
and 1.5 billion shekels ($258-387 million).

The army also presented cabinet members with a fortification plan that would
also include Israeli communities such as Ashkelon, Netivot and Ofakim, which
are within the range of the Grad missile (range of about 25km) and other
surface-to surface missiles the Palestinian terror groups have in their
possession.

The cost of this plan is estimated at NIS 5.5 billion ($1.4 billion).

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told the Knesset's State Control Committee last
week that Israel should not enter a process of "over-fortification", and
officials in his office said the State was investing hundreds of millions of
shekels in the development of rocket-interception systems to be placed along
the border with Gaza.