Iran-backed Palestinian terrorists in Gaza killed three Israelis in separate rocket attacks on Israeli cities Monday (Dec. 29). One of the dead was an Israeli-Arab construction worker in Ashkelon; 16 others were wounded in that attack. In the city of Ashdod, a woman was killed at a bus stop; four others were wounded. The third attack killed an Israeli in the western Negev; seven others were wounded. [1] Later on Monday, rockets struck the Israeli cities of Ofakim and Yavneh; Yavneh - which lies 22 miles (35 km) from Gaza - is the northernmost Israeli city ever hit by Gaza rockets. [2]
In addition to the 27-year-old construction worker killed by the Grad rocket in Ashkelon Monday morning, a number of the other workers also were Israeli Arabs. Five of the injured are in serious condition. [3]
Nir Marciano, who lives across the road from where the rocket struck in Ashkelon said, “I heard a small blast followed by a bigger one, which rocked the house and the windows. It was simply terrifying. The blast was so strong it blew me inside.” [4]
The Hamas attack on Ashdod marked the first time that city has been hit by missiles fired from Gaza. The woman who was killed had run into a bus station seeking shelter after a rocket warning siren sounded; she died of shrapnel wounds. Of the four others wounded in that attack, one sustained serious injuries. [5]
No details were available about the Israeli killed in the western Negev.
Iran-backed Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups fired more than 40 rockets at Israel today (Dec. 29). [6] They have fired more than 150 rockets and mortar shells at Israel since Israel Defense Forces (IDF) began “Operation Cast Lead” Saturday (Dec. 27), [7] using targeted air strikes on Hamas militants and installations in Gaza to try to stop the terrorists’ more than three years of almost daily attacks on Israel.
Since Israel’s six-month ceasefire with Iran-backed Hamas formally ended Friday (Dec. 19) Palestinian terrorists in Gaza have fired more than 200 missiles, rockets and mortars at Israeli civilians. Attacks over the weekend killed a 30-year-old resident of the southern Negev city of Netivot and wounded four others. [8]
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Hamas is responsible for the current situation in Gaza and said he had asked Hamas not to end the ceasefire.
Said Abbas during a joint press conference yesterday (Dec. 28) with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Abu al-Gheit, “I say in all honesty, we made contact with leaders of the Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip. We spoke with them in all honesty and directly, and after that we spoke with them indirectly, through more than one Arab and non-Arab side... We spoke with them on the telephone and we said to them: We ask of you, don't stop the ceasefire, the ceasefire must continue and not stop, in order to avoid what has happened, and if only we had avoided it." [9]
Since Israel gave up all of Gaza in 2005 – relinquishing homes, farms, places of business and worship – terrorists have launched more than 6,400 rockets and mortars into Israel from Gaza. The attacks have killed 13 civilians, wounded more than 800 and traumatized thousands of others. [10] The only remaining Israeli in Gaza is Staff Sgt. Gilad Shalit who was abducted from Israel on June 25, 2006 by Hamas in a bloody cross-border raid in which the terrorists killed two IDF soldiers and wounded four others. [11]
On Sunday, the IDF operation targeted 40 weapons smuggling tunnels built by terrorist groups in Gaza. The IDF also struck two mosques that were being used as weapons, ammunitions and explosives depots. Following the air strike, there were secondary explosions indicating that large quantities of the explosives and ammunition had been hit. [12]
During the weekend, a Katyusha missile hit the Negev town of Kiryat Gat for the first time. Kiryat Gat is more than 12 miles (20 km) from Gaza. [13] Hamas and other Iran-backed terrorist groups claimed responsibility for the attacks. [14]
During the past year, Iran-backed terrorist groups in Gaza have fired more than 3,000 rockets, missiles and mortars at Israeli civilians in the southern Negev region; the attacks earlier this year killed four people and wounded more than 270. [15]
Said Dore Gold, Israel’s former ambassador to the UN, “We want to restore the quiet and the tranquility and give the residents of the south the ability to live the normal lives that every country provides its citizens.[16]
"Residents of Gaza, we are not your enemies and we are not fighting against you. This terrorist organization has brought disaster to two peoples. Israel is not fighting the Palestinian people but the Hamas terrorist organization that has taken it upon itself to act against the residents of Israel.” [17]
Despite the ongoing attacks, 63 truckloads of humanitarian goods were transferred Saturday (Dec. 27) from Israel to Gaza and 120 truckloads were transferred today through the Kerem Shalom and Karni crossings. [18] On Sunday, Israel transported 160 tons of food and medicine into Gaza. [19] The IDF provided the aid in coordination with the UN, UNSCO, UNRWA, Red Cross and WHO. [20] On Friday (Dec. 26) Israel transferred more than 90 truckloads of vital goods to Gaza residents. [21]
During the six-month truce, Israel delivered 17,000 truckloads of goods into Gaza. [22] Click here for a comprehensive list of humanitarian aid delivered during the six-month ceasefire.
During a visit five months ago to the southern Israeli city of Sderot, then-candidate and now President-elect Barack Obama defended Israel’s right to protect itself from such attacks: "If somebody was sending rockets into my house where my two daughters sleep at night, I would do everything to stop that, and would expect Israel to do the same thing." [23]
Speaking about the Iranian nuclear threat, Obama also said during the visit, "A nuclear Iran would pose a grave threat and the world must prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon." [24]
In addition to firing missiles at Israeli civilians, the terrorist groups have conducted a sustained campaign of attacks against the border crossings from Gaza into Israel. In 2008 alone, there have been more than 17 attacks or attempted attacks on the crossings.
Graph: Rockets and Mortars Fired From Gaza June – December 2008
Contact info
Israeli officials and experts in the U.S.
Israel’s Ambassador to the U.S. Sallai Meridor
Contact him through Chief of Staff Lior Weintraub at cell: (202) 679-1248 or e-mail:
Emb-mng@washington.mfa.gov.il
Israeli Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Ambassador Jeremy Issacharoff:
office: (202) 364-5578 or cell: (202) 276-3300 or e-mail: dcm@israelemb.org
Israeli Embassy Spokesman Jonathan Peled
cell: (202) 276-2800 or e-mail: sp@washington.mfa.gov.il
Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Gabriela Shalev
Contact her through spokeswoman Mirit Cohen at cell: (347) 539-1896 or miritc@newyork.mfa.gov.il
The Israel Project Founder and President Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi
cell: 202-365-0787 or jenniferm@theisraelproject.org
The Israel Project – Israel Office Executive Director Marcus Sheff (in Israel)
cell: 011-972-54-807-9177 or marcuss@theisraelproject.org
Israeli officials and experts in Israel
(Please note: to phone from U.S., add 011-972 to beginning of number and remove the “0” at the beginning of the number; outside the U.S., add your country code and then "972"; also remove the "0" from the beginning of the number)
Deputy Foreign Minister Majalli Whbee (English & Arabic): 050-628-6646
Foreign Ministry Deputy Director-General for Media and Public Affairs Aviv Shir-On (English & German): 050-620-3623
Prime Minister's International Media Adviser (English) Mark Regev: 050-620-3264
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Yigal Palmor (English, Spanish & French): 050-620-3277
Israeli Ambassador to France Danny Shek (French & English): 050-620-3682
Government Press Office Director Daniel Seaman (English): 050-620-5432
Government Press Office Arabic Dept. Director Dr. Fawaz Kamal (Arabic): 050-620-5427
Foreign Ministry Arabic Dept. Acting Dir. Ophir Gandelman (English & Arabic): 050-620-3548
Former Israeli Ambassador to the UK Tzvi Hefetz: (English & Russian): 054-469-6969
Former Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Gillerman (English): 050-688-8777
Col. (res.) Miri Eisin (English): 050-552-0646
BIOS for select Washington- and New York-based officials and experts:
H.E. Sallai Meridor, Israel’s Ambassador to the United States
Before becoming Israel’s ambassador to the United States in late 2006, Ambassador Sallai Meridor served as Chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel and the World Zionist Organization (WZO) from 1999-2005. Prior to this, Mr. Meridor served as treasurer of the Jewish Agency and the WZO and as head of the Settlement Division of the WZO.
Prior to his work with the Jewish Agency, Mr. Meridor served as an advisor to the Minister of Defense and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Israel. In his governmental service, he was involved in the designing of Israel's foreign and defense policies, played a role in the peace process leading to the Madrid Peace Conference, participated in the negotiations that followed as the representative of the Ministry of Defense, and led Israel's Inter-Agency Steering Committee on Arms Control.
Born and educated in Jerusalem Mr. Meridor earned a B.A. from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He served as an intelligence officer in the Israel Defense Forces. He is married and has three daughters.
FULL BIO: http://www.israelemb.org/bios/Sallai-Meridor/Sallai-Meridor.html
H.E. Jeremy Issacharoff - Deputy Chief of Mission
2005: Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission to Embassy of Israel in Washington D.C.
2003: Asked by United Nation's Secretary-General to serve on his Advisory Board for Disarmament Affairs, consisting of experts in the realm of arms control and disarmament from approximately twenty countries.
2001: Deputy Director-General For Strategic Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Overall responsibility for arms control, non-proliferation, counter-terrorism, export controls and regional security.
1999-2001: Head of Regional Security and Arms Control, MFA.
1998-1999: Member of the Strategic Policy Planning Group and the Joint Strategic Planning Committee, both designed to be senior consultative working groups with the United States on strategic and military affairs. In addition, appointed Representative of the Foreign Minister to the Inter-Ministerial Committee, to establish the National Security Council in Israel.
1993- 1998: Minister-Counselor For Political Affairs in Embassy in Washington DC. Responsible for liaison with the State Department and the National Security Council on bilateral policy issues including the peace process, multilateral talks, strategic and military cooperation, arms control, disarmament and nonproliferation with particular emphasis on Iran's efforts in WMD and missile areas. Member of Israeli delegation to the Multilateral Working Group on Arms Control and Regional Security.
1993 - 1993: Policy Counselor in the Foreign Minister's Bureau, Jerusalem.
1989-1993: Personal Adviser to the Director General of the Foreign Ministry. Member of Israeli Delegation to peace talks with Lebanon held in Washington pursuant to Madrid peace conference.
1986-1989: Policy Adviser to the Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations in New York. Responsible for range of policy matters including peace process, disarmament and legal affairs.
1985: Israel's Representative to the First Committee on Disarmament Affairs of the UN General Assembly.
1984: Acting Director of the Disarmament Division in Foreign Ministry and Inter Ministerial Coordinator of the project to establish a Voice of America relay station in Israel.
Full bio: http://www.israelemb.org/bios/Jeremy_Issacharoff.htm
Jonathan Peled, Israeli Embassy Spokesman
Jonathan Peled joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1992 and is currently Minister-counselor and spokesman of the Israeli Embassy in Washington. Before assuming this position he was the Foreign Policy (Diplomatic) Advisor to the Speaker of the Knesset.
Between 2004 and 2006 he served as Israeli Ambassador to El Salvador and Belize. Prior to that he was Foreign Ministry Spokesperson in Jerusalem. Jonathan has held diplomatic postings in Turkey and in Argentina, where he dealt with political affairs, press and information. Before his first posting in Istanbul, he served as Assistant Policy Advisor to Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, participating in the peace negotiations following the Oslo Peace Accords.
Jonathan is a graduate of Tel-Aviv University in Political Science and Economics. He holds the rank of Major (res.) in the Israeli Air Force, where he served for 7 years as an Aircrew officer.
Before joining the Foreign Service, and while studying, he worked for EL- AL Israel Airlines.
In addition to Hebrew and English, Jonathan is fluent in Spanish and has a command of German.
Full bio: http://www.israelemb.org/bios/jonathan%20peled.htm
H.E. Gabriela Shalev, Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations
Ambassador Gabriela Shalev is Israel’s 14th Permanent Representative to the United Nations. She began her tenure on Sept. 3, 2008, marking the first time a woman was appointed to this post.
Amb. Shalev is a leading expert in Israel in the fields of contract law and procurement contracts. Until her early retirement in 2002, she was a full professor of contract law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and wrote nine books and more than 100 articles about contract law. She was formerly the President of the Academic Council and Rector of Ono Academic College in Israel. Amb. Shalev was also a visiting law professor at universities in the U.S., Europe and Canada, including Harvard Law School, Temple University and Boston College. She has received numerous awards and has served on several prestigious boards.
Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, Founder and President, The Israel Project
Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi is the founder and president of The Israel Project (TIP), an international non-profit organization devoted to educating the press and the public about Israel while promoting security, freedom and peace. TIP has offices in Washington and Jerusalem.
Mizrahi meets regularly with top Israeli leaders such as Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, President Shimon Peres, Ambassador Sallai Meridor, author Natan Sharansky and many others. She also works frequently with pro-Israel organizations including the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Jewish federations, Jewish community relations councils and Hillel organizations.
Mizrahi previously served as a foreign affairs legislative assistant to the U.S. Congress. She studied at Hebrew University in Jerusalem and has degrees in International Relations and Judaic Studies from Emory University. Her work earned her recognition as a "Point of Light" by President H. W. Bush. Mizrahi also has been honored with the Louis D. Brandeis Award by the Baltimore Zionist District. The Forward newspaper has twice listed Mizrahi in its "Forward 50" most influential Jews in America. Mizrahi was recently named to the March of the Living’s newly established advisory board.
Full Bio: [html] [pdf]
Marcus Sheff, Executive Director, TIP Israel Operation
As Executive Director of The Israel Project’s Israel Office, Sheff leads The Israel Project’s team in Israel. In this capacity, he manages the delivery of information from Jerusalem to over 56,000 journalists around the world, as well as day-to-day direct outreach to the 450 members of the foreign press based in Israel. The Jerusalem-based operation drives TIP’s unique programs in Israel, which include regular press conferences and press events, the ‘Intellicopter’ (helicopter) and specially crafted ground tours for the media, as well as TIP’s Media Center in Sderot. TIP’s Israel Office also conducts media training of pro-Israel advocates and outreach to the Arab-language press in Israel and around the world.
Sheff and the Israel team created what has become a vital resource for the media based in Israel, where 70% of the news about the region is gathered. He meets regularly with Israeli leaders, spokespeople, diplomats and NGOs on strategic communications issues and appears regularly in the international media. Sheff has worked as a media and communications professional in Israel for 20 years, beginning as a political reporter for the The Nation and later becoming an editor at The Jerusalem Post. He then set up a strategic communications company whose clients included government ministries, many of Israel's top 20 companies and international publishers and advertising agencies. The company became the leader in its field. After selling the company, Sheff represented international publishers and media organizations in Israel and around the world.
As a reserve officer in the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, Sheff was a prominent spokesperson for the IDF during all recent crises and trained senior IDF officers in media skills. He has appeared on behalf of the IDF on the BBC, ITV and Sky News, as well as dozens of other US and European TV and radio outlets. He serves on the editorial board of “Engage,” an organization that challenges contemporary anti-Semitism. Sheff studied at the University of Leeds, where he was elected General Secretary of the Leeds University Union and was active in national student politics.
Footnotes:
[1] Harel, Amos; Yagna, Yanir, "Rockets fired from Gaza kill 2 Israelis within hour," Haaretz, Dec. 29, 2008, http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1050925.html; Hadad, Shmulik, “Laborer killed by rocket in Ashkelon,” YnetNews, Dec. 29, 2008, http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3646309,00.html
[2] Harel, Amos; Yagna, Yanir, "Rockets fired from Gaza kill 2 Israelis within hour," Haaretz, Dec. 29, 2008, http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1050925.html
[3] Ibid.
[4] Hadad, Shmulik, “Laborer killed by rocket in Ashkelon,” YnetNews, Dec. 29, 2008, http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3646309,00.html
[5] Harel, Amos; Yagna, Yanir, "Rockets fired from Gaza kill 2 Israelis within hour," Haaretz, Dec. 29, 2008, http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1050925.html
[6] Harel, Amos, Yagna, Yanir, “Israeli killed as barrage of Palestinian rockets pound west Negev,” Haaretz, Dec. 29, 2008, http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1050925.html
[7] IDF Spokesperson’s Unit communiqué, Dec. 29, 2008
[8] Curiel, Ilana, “Man killed in rocket strike,” YnetNews, Dec. 27, 2008, http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3644954,00.html; Harel, Amos, Ravid, Barak and Issacharoff, Avi, Haaretz Correspondents and News Agencies, “Army readies for 'limited' Gaza action as 22 mortars hit Negev,” Haaretz, Dec. 26, 2008, http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1050338.html
[9] “Mahmoud Abbas: Hamas responsible for violence,” Palestinian Media Watch, Gaza Update 4, Dec. 28, 2008
[10] Data relayed to The Israel Project by IDF Spokesman’s Division, Dec 18, 2008; Berger, Ronny and Gelkopf, Marc, “The Impact of the Ongoing Traumatic Stress Conditions on Sderot,” Natal, The Israel Trauma Center for Victims of Terror and War in cooperation with Dr. Mina Tzemach, Director, Dachaf Public Opinion Research Institute, Oct. 2007
[11] Harel, Amos; Issacharoff, Avi; Haaretz Service and Reuters, "Two soldiers killed, one missing in raid on IDF post," Haaretz, June 25, 2006, http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/730994.html
[12] Information relayed by the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, Dec. 28, 2008
[13] Adayat, Fadi and Harel, Amos, Haaretz Correspondents, and Haaretz Service, “One Israeli killed, 4 hurt as Palestinian rockets hit Negev home,” Haaretz, Dec. 27, 2008, http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1050399.html
[14] “Gaza-Hamas Fact Sheet,” Embassy of Israel, Dec. 22, 2008; "Hamas fires at Israel, threatening hopes of renewed ceasefire," The Telegraph (UK), Dec. 24, 2008, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/3933368/Hamas-fires-at-Israel-threatening-hopes-of-renewed-ceasefire.html
[15] Data relayed to The Israel Project by IDF Spokesman’s Division, Dec 18, 2008; “Hamas fires at Israel, threatening hopes of renewed ceasefire,” The Telegraph (UK), Dec. 24, 2008, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/3933368/Hamas-fires-at-Israel-threatening-hopes-of-renewed-ceasefire.html; “Rocket barrage from Gaza as Hamas ends six-month calm,” Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs Web site, Dec. 24, 2008, http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA
[16] PM Olmert press briefing on IDF operation in the Gaza Strip, Dec. 27, 2008
[17] PM Olmert press briefing on IDF operation in the Gaza Strip, Dec. 27, 2008
[18] Harel, Amos, Ravid, Barak and Issacharoff, Avi, Haaretz Correspondents and News Agencies, “Army readies for 'limited' Gaza action as 22 mortars hit Negev,” Haaretz, Dec. 26, 2008, http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1050338.html
[19] Data relayed to The Israel Project by IDF Spokesman’s Division, Dec 18, 2008; Berger, Ronny and Gelkopf, Marc, “The Impact of the Ongoing Traumatic Stress Conditions on Sderot,” Natal, The Israel Trauma Center for Victims of Terror and War in cooperation with Dr. Mina Tzemach, Director, Dachaf Public Opinion Research Institute, Oct. 2007
[20] IDF Spokesperson’s Unit Communique, Dec. 27, 2008
[21] Harel, Amos, Ravid, Barak and Issacharoff, Avi, Haaretz Correspondents and News Agencies, “Army readies for 'limited' Gaza action as 22 mortars hit Negev,” Haaretz, Dec. 26, 2008, http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1050338.html
22] Ravid, Barak, "Obama in Sderot: Nuclear Iran would be game-changing," Haaretz, July 23, 2008, http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1004747.html
[23] Ibid.
[24] "Obama says nuclear Iran a "grave threat," Reuters, July 23, 2008, http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSL2376765320080723
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