The AP reads my blog. They’re getting closer and closer to admitting that the rocket barrage of Sderot actually causes problems for the residents.
Gaza militants, led by Hamas, fired dozens of rockets and mortars at Israeli towns, causing no serious injuries but further traumatizing residents who have been putting up with daily barrages for many months. One rocket slammed into the side of a house, slightly injuring two people, police said.
And gee, in the seventh paragraph. The Israeli casualty count is moving up in the world of AP editors. However, let’s check out the last three grafs of the story—the ones most likely to be cut:
Israel’s vaunted military has been baffled by the low-tech, homemade rockets with a range of only a few miles that have been plaguing Israel’s south for years. Airstrikes and pinpoint ground operations have killed hundreds of Gaza militants, and full-blown invasions have caused widespread casualties and damage – but none of the measures has stopped the rocket fire for long.
All hail the conquering terrorists, eh? The sneer is practically dripping off the writer’s pen in that paragraph. Wow. Talk about your unbiased news sources, huh?
Shyeah.
Israel is working on an elaborate system to shoot down the rockets, but it would not be deployed until 2012.
Militants have launched some 4,000 rockets and mortar rounds at southern Israel since Israel evacuated Gaza in the summer of 2005 after a 38-year occupation. The rockets have killed 12 people since 2001. Recently militants have been extending their reach as well, with one Iranian-made rocket flying 10 miles and hitting an Israeli city.
It’s astonishing how the AP can constantly blame Israel even when not blaming Israel. Israel is no longer in Gaza, but the implication is that rockets are being launched because of the former occupation of Gaza. Yep. My buddy Ibrahim Barzak–he never fails to impress.