The residents of Netiv HaAsara, a moshav in the north-western Negev close to the Gaza Strip border, have been complaining for a few months about an observation deck established by the Hamas terrorist organization 150 meters from their homes, which could quickly be turned into a sniper’s craw’s nest from which dozens of Jews could be slaughtered.
So, on Friday night, in response to the rocket fired by Hamas at Israeli civilians in the nearby city of Ashkelon, the IDF spokesperson announced that Israeli aircraft struck a weapons manufacturing site and 3 other Hamas military posts in Gaza, and offered the video below of the pesky observation deck across the border fence from Netiv HaAsara.
Good riddance.
In response to the rocket fired by Hamas toward Israeli civilians overnight, IDF aircraft struck a weapons manufacturing site & 3 other Hamas military posts in Gaza.
We hold the Hamas terrorist organization responsible for all terrorist activity emanating from Gaza. pic.twitter.com/kP4tLT2J7R
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 18, 2022
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett told the nation at his Cabinet meeting’s opening remarks that “unlike in the past, we no longer make excuses for the terrorists, neither are we defining them as breakaway factions or electrical mishaps. As far as we are concerned, Hamas is the address.”
He avoided the part about the past and present-day defense minister being the same man: Blue & White Chairman Benny Gantz, but he could be forgiven since the real target of his scorn was, as always, his rival for the leadership of the right, Benjamin Netanyahu.
“We insist on absolute quiet for the residents of Ashkelon, Sderot, and the area adjacent to the Gaza Strip,” Bennett announced. “For the first time, there is a younger generation in the south that has experienced quiet. Our goal is safety and quiet lives for the residents of the south as well as preventing the renewed armament of Hamas.”
Here’s the thing, though: in the video that the IDF itself tweeted, as well as images that were published later, it can clearly be seen that the observation deck remained standing, except for the structure on top. On Sunday morning, possibly while the prime minister was busy boasting about his retaliation, the Hamas terrorists managed to renovate the post and hung their flags on it. It looked great on video, but as of Sunday morning, a Hamas sniper can once again target with ease the people of Netiv HaAsara with a regular rifle, no need for the high-powered kind.
דיוק זה הסיפור. המוצב של חמאס שהשקיף על בתי נתיב העשרה “הושמד” על ידי צהל. טוב שלא השמידו רק את הדגל.
בדיחה עצובה.
צילום אמנון זיו pic.twitter.com/A5syAmQiFY— assaf gibor (@assafgibor) June 18, 2022
Amnon Ziv, Director of the Security Division of the Ashkelon Beach Regional Council, on Sunday morning attacked the Lapid-Bennett government on 103FM radio, saying, “A post has been established for the past few months that controls the community. We must not let anything like this happen at all. The army knows what to do and is not being allowed to do it.”
A bitter Ziv added, “There is a victory picture here, but it’s not ours.”
Itamar Revivo, Head of the Ashkelon Beach Regional Council, on Saturday night, told Kan 11 News that “it’s inconceivable for the residents of Netiv HaAsara to live for more than half a year like ducks in the range, in daily fear of the Hamas terrorist observation post facing them. Leaving the posit intact indicates weakness and threatens the sense of security of the residents of the Gaza Strip envelope and the State of Israel.”
“The fact that the post belonging to a terrorist organization stands for a long time within touching distance of the houses of the moshav is unacceptable and contrary to all logic, civilian and military,” Revivo continued. “We demand that the Israeli government act firmly and immediately to remove the threat. We refuse to accept the equation that Hamas conducts our life’s routine and when it decides to fire a single shot, we must wait for its next violent whim to remove its threats. The Hamas post poses an immediate threat and must therefore be destroyed without further delay,” he demanded.
The head of the Netiv HaAsara emergency team Smadar Shmilovich told Reshet Bet radio Sunday morning that the army reassured them that this Hamas post is intended to curb the Arab rioters’ demonstrations by the fence.
“In our negotiations with the army, we are always reassured that this is a Hamas post against the demonstrators by the fence, from which they are stopping the rioters,” she said, and added, “I don’t care. I have the Hamas in a post behind my house, watching me. I’d like to ask each of the residents of the State of Israel if there were a Hamas post 150 meters from your house – how would you feel?”
Pretty lousy, I must admit.
