Choosing a side

[Spion]

why not attack checkpoints or soldiers, instead of lobbing rockets in the general direction of Israel?

They used to. I suspect the IDF has made it impossible to get anywhere near them.

Don't get me wrong, I'd rather see mass marches on the blockade crossings to shame Israel in front of the world, something which the current leadership in Gaza has either not considered or ruled out.

But, I'd never say the rockets are worse than doing nothing. I'd rather see that tactic superceded but onyl by something better

Anyway, here's a rocket firer on why he does it:

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,531578,00.html

'"We are ready to die; that is the price of our freedom." He says that the Palestinians are left with no other choice but to fight the Israelis with weapons. "Either we resist, or they treat us like slaves." He has thought about who is hit by his rockets. "If we kill soldiers, then we are more than happy," he says. "If it hits a child, then naturally we are not happy."'

 

[In Bloom]

Not rocket science

They used to. I suspect the IDF has made it impossible to get anywhere near them.

Don't get me wrong, I'd rather see mass marches on the blockade crossings to shame Israel in front of the world, something which the current leadership in Gaza has either not considered or ruled out.

But, I'd never say the rockets are worse than doing nothing. I'd rather see that tactic superceded but onyl by something better

I agree that I'd rather see the rockets replaced by something better, but regardless, I'd rather they weren't fired.

Anyway, here's a rocket firer on why he does it:

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,531578,00.html

'"We are ready to die; that is the price of our freedom." He says that the Palestinians are left with no other choice but to fight the Israelis with weapons. "Either we resist, or they treat us like slaves." He has thought about who is hit by his rockets. "If we kill soldiers, then we are more than happy," he says. "If it hits a child, then naturally we are not happy."'

Interesting stuff.

 

[Bernie Gunther]

No but firing rockets at people who will use it as an excuse to bomb your neighbour hood into little pieces then drive a tank through it just seems mad to me.

My guess is their reasoning is that if they're going to fight Israel at all, they've got to do it on terms where they can do some damage in return, which they can't sitting in a cage being bombed and shelled with their water, power, food and medicines blockaded.

Air power isn't going to stop the rockets, so if they keep firing them, the IDF will eventually have to come and fight them where a bunch of irregulars with AKs, RPGs and IEDs can actually do some damage to them.

 

[DownwardDog]

There's an interesting article here on the rockets and attempts to devise countermeasures. Apparently with anything under 4km away the flight time is too short for the much vaunted Iron Dome system to develop an effective intercept solution.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/956859.html

I was pretty surprised to read that each Qassam costs $100k. Life in Gaza must be pretty sweet if Hamas can afford to lob 100k over the border several times a day.

 

[dylanredefined]

It seems to me it would be cheaper and quicker to stop the rockets by ,Stopping the palestians wanting to fire rockets at isreal in the first place
or is that too easy ?

 

[Spion]

I was pretty surprised to read that each Qassam costs $100k. Life in Gaza must be pretty sweet if Hamas can afford to lob 100k over the border several times a day.

That's because it actually says: "The cost of each intercept missile will probably be about $100,000."

and

"In contrast, the cost of making a Qassam rocket is well under $100,000"

Yeah, well under . . .

Elsewhere we read:

"Turning to the cost factor, Mr. Pedazur pointed out that the cost incurred in the operation of an Iron Dome unit defending the city of Ashkelon, eight miles to the north, is $100,000 for each missile fired. He compared this to the $50 it costs the Palestinians to produce each Qassam rocket."

http://www.jewishpolicycenter.org/article/284

 

[DownwardDog]

That's because it actually says: "The cost of each intercept missile will probably be about $100,000."

and

"In contrast, the cost of making a Qassam rocket is well under $100,000"

That does make more sense! I did think 100k was pretty steep for a piece of drainpipe packed with weedkiller and sugar.

 

[Spion]

It seems to me it would be cheaper and quicker to stop the rockets by ,Stopping the palestians wanting to fire rockets at isreal in the first place
or is that too easy ?

It would be easy.

But, I think that some in Israel want Gaza and the WB and think they'll get it in the long term by making Palestinian lives a misery.

 

[TAE]

Spion, I certainly cannot see the Israelis accepting a fully independent and armed palestinian state any time soon.

 

[ViolentPanda]

He compared this to the $50 it costs the Palestinians to produce each Qassam rocket."

http://www.jewishpolicycenter.org/article/284

Yep, as I said on another thread, I could go out with a hundred quid and easily come back home with the materials to make one and buy a cheap arc-welder too.

 

[ViolentPanda]

That does make more sense! I did think 100k was pretty steep for a piece of drainpipe packed with weedkiller and sugar.

They try to use gas bottles if at all possible, because they're less likely to fragment at take-off.