Rocket Hits Shopping Center in Ashkelon

B"H

I know that rockets hitting Sedrot doesn't mean much to the government, after all, the town is full of low income middle-eastern Jews and Ethiopians--so no wonder the government doesn't care, right? (Who said discrimination is the sole property of a few Haredi schools in Jerusalem?)

But a rocket in Ashkelon!??

There are actual EUROPEAN Jews there, so I'm sure the government suddenly cares a lot. After all, these are "real" Jews, as opposed to "those people" in Sedrot!

The fact that the government hasn't reacted with determination before this is sickening. The fact that they suddenly care because it is Ashkelon is a tragedy of an even greater magnitude.

I guess such racist attitudes are a scourge in every government, though--not just in Israel. It's a shame, however, that we haven't come to understand the importance of EVERY LIFE not just lives of a particular economic, social, or cultural type.

I have also noticed that, while the constant rocket fire and death is Sedrot is nothing to the international news media, we suddenly have "BREAKING NEWS!" reports about the rocket in Ashkelon.

M
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http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/126171
by Hillel Fendel

(IsraelNN.com) Arab terrorists in Gaza fired two Grad Katyusha missiles at southern Ashkelon late Wednesday afternoon, and one rocket scored a direct hit on a shopping center. Parts of the building collapsed, trapping four people for a half-hour. Many ambulances rushed to the scene.

A spokesman for the local Fire Department stated that the powerful rocket hit the building's 3rd floor and crashed down to the floor below. He said the firefighters rescued four people - including a little girl - who were trapped behind or under a collapsed wall. At present, all the wounded and trapped are assumed to have been rescued and evacuated. The destruction to the building is significant,

One toddler was taken to the local hospital in serious condition, two others are listed in moderate-to-serious condition, and eight others were more lightly hurt. Up to 14 people are being treated for shock.

The rocketed shopping center is located in the southern area of the port city. The rocket hit at approximately 5:50 PM, an hour when the area is generally crowded with shoppers.

Ashkelon, Israel's 13th largest city with nearly 110,000 people, has come into range of Gaza's rockets over the past year and a half. Many of the rockets have landed very near the Rotenberg Power Plant, Israel's second-largest electric station, which supplies about a quarter of Israel’s electricity.

It is assumed that this afternoon's rockets were timed to coincide with President Bush's visit in Israel. Analysts increasingly opine that a full-scale Israeli offensive in and against Gaza is likely to begin in a matter of days.