The 1st Fruits of Disengagement (updated)

In this past Shabbat's Torah portion, we read about the Jews of Israel who would bring their 1st fruits (of the 7 species special to the Land of Israel) to the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, and thank G-d for all of his benefice.

This weekend, the Jews of Israel became familiar with another type of 1st fruit, which seems to be in season here in Israel.

I am referring, of course, to the 1st fruits of the post-Disengagement reality.

1) This weekend, over 20 Qassam rockets were fired by the "Palestinians" into Israel. Prior to Israel's Disengagement from Gaza, the government and military promised very swift and harsh responses to such attacks. As could be expected, this response has yet to be seen.

The government ruled out a ground assault on Gaza. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told the security Cabinet, "We left Gaza not in order to return to it." The Cabinet approved IDF strikes on terrorists preparing rocket attacks and okayed a world-wide information campaign against Hamas.

I am sure that Hamas is shaking, now that the Israeli government has finally authorized a world-wide information campaign. (Why this wasn't done ages ago or that this needed government authorization is beyond me).

There was in fact a swift and harsh Israeli response, but it wasn't directed against the terrorists who fired missiles into Israel:

The Sderot municipality and the Sha'ar Hanegev regional council announced Saturday night its plans to suspend school on Sunday due to the deteriorating security situation. In addition, the city-run market will not be operating in its regular capacity.

In an official statement, the municipality said the closures are the result of the security assessments that were passed onto Sderot mayor Eli Moyal during a meeting with heads of the defense establishment. Municipality heads will reconvene on Sunday to decide on further steps.

Undoubtedly, these further steps will continue to disrupt the daily lives of the Jews of Israel, while the terrorists will continue to freely and openly plan future attacks against the Jewish State.

(As we speak, Prime Minister Sharon has issued the following order:

"I have ordered that there be no limitation regarding use of all means to hit the terrorists, the men of the terror organizations, to hit them, their equipment, and their hideouts,"...

"The order is unequivocal."

The prime minister said that israel had embarked on "an ongoing operation, whose aim is to hit terrorists, and not to relent from this. All means are fit for this. Apart from our usual practice of refraining from harming civilians, all means should be used to halt this phenomenon."

And what if the terrorists are based within civilian populations, and that it is precisely from there that they are firing missiles into Israel? Will we sit on our hands, since we are unwilling to harm civilians?)

2) Two Words: Another Fence.

It seems as if Israel's answer to every and any type of security threat that she is faced with is to simply build another fence. It is as if Israel has bought totally into the mantra that fences make good neighbors... if only that were true.

Israel has examined a plan to establish a $900 million security system along the 200-kilometer border with Egypt. The Defense Ministry and the Israel Defense Forces have been reviewing requirements for a security system that could halt infiltration of insurgents and smugglers from the Sinai Peninsula into Israel. Officials said they expected intensified Palestinian infiltration into Israel from the Sinai.

"We're going to require a serious security system," Deputy Defense Minister Zeev Boim said.

Officials said Israel 's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip has provided Palestinians with unregulated entry to Sinai. They said more than 15,000 Palestinians have entered the Sinai over the last five days and many of them plan to infiltrate Israel.

Can someone remind me again, of how the Disengagement from Gaza was benificial to Israel?

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