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June 03, 2006
"Homemade" Rockets
It seems that some news outlets—the LA Times, Chicago Tribune and (especially) the Associated Press, to name just a few—won't refer to the deadly Qassam rockets fired relentlessly towards Israeli towns without making sure to point out that these weapons are "homemade." It almost seems as if Palestinian terrorists are delivering apple pies rather than explosives that have taken the lives of Israeli children (such as two-year-old Dorit Aniso and four-year-old Yuval Abebeh) and numerous other civilians.
CNN's in-depth look at these rockets—made in modest weapons workshops, not in anyone's "home"—paints a much clearer picture.
CNN's Ben Wedeman notes:
We were on our way to see a rocket workshop run by the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the armed wing of the Fatah movement. ...
This was where aluminum was melted down then poured into molds for the nozzle of the rocket, the tip and the other parts. ...
This group makes three kinds of rockets: The biggest is the so-called Aqsa 103 has a maximum range of 14 kilometers, or 8.5 miles, and carries 6 kilograms of TNT.
With one of his comrades, Ahmed showed us packets of iron shards they pack into rocket warheads for extra lethal effect.
One of these missiles recently slammed into a school classroom in the nearby Israeli town of Sderot, a frequent target of the militants. The students were in another room at prayer at the time and no one was injured. Their teacher, for good reason, called it a miracle.
Ahmed was proud -- not ashamed -- that his missile had hit the school. These are not men who agonize over the morality of violence. ...
Since the start of the second intifada in September 2000, Palestinian groups have fired more than 5,000 rockets into Israel, or into Gaza settlements before the Jews left. Those missiles killed 13 civilians and two soldiers.
Posted by at June 3, 2006 11:50 PM
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