Re “U.N., Being Good Neighbor, Returns Stray Rocket to Hamas”

[Editor’s Note: As Hamas terrorists continue firing rockets into Israel, sending frightened residents underground, our correspondent resumes her daily update.]

Dateline Jerusalem – Tuesday was another day, another evening in my stairwell. Two sirens, one after the other, as rockets came flying into my area.  Twenty-two people and one dog crowded onto the stairs and the landing on my floor. When it was safe to leave we greeted each other with “Hope I do not see you later tonight.”

Earlier yesterday a rocket landed in a family's home not far from the airport. It looked as though it were the aftermath of an earthquake or tornado. As my friend Monica said, “Not all are stopped by the Iron Dome.” The U.S. and European airlines have cancelled flights to and from Israel. Many people are stranded. So far, Israel's national airline, El Al, is flying.  They might be more expensive, probably because of their safety measures, but they are the only airline I feel safe flying.

Sixteen code red siren alerts in Israel during the last five minutes.

Why do only Palestinians get the sympathy of the world? What about Israeli civilians living in shelters?  While we try to save civilian lives in Israel and Gaza, our soldiers are losing their lives fighting a war with their hands tied behind their backs because of their fear of harming innocent civilians.  What are soldiers supposed to do when they see children wearing suicide belts coming at them?  What are they to do when terrorists commandeer an ambulance of injured on the way to a hospital?  What are they to do when rockets and launchers are hidden in schools, hospitals, civilian homes?  How can Israel protect its citizens from rockets, missiles, kidnappings, suicide bombers, murderers?

More rockets were found hidden in U.N. schools in Gaza yesterday. Are we seeing a pattern here? Did the U.N. give these back to Hamas as they did with earlier rockets? Did one of those destroy the house near the airport?  Was one of those shot down over my city?

One of the worst aspects of this war is the media's bias, gullibility, ignorance, lack of awareness and misunderstanding of facts.  Perhaps this conflict could have been over by now without the media's interference.  Not only has this become a war for Israel's existence, but it has become a war where the media has been manipulated by and become a tool of terrorists.  A frightening thought.

L'hitraot.  Shachar