Roth - Far from the cameras, an ongoing low intensity war

The romantically-minded reporters and editors of most of the West's
news media want you to believe this is what characterizes the low-intensity
conflict between the Arabs and the Israelis. The dirty-secret reality is that
rocks are hurled by Arabs at Israeli driving their childrenfar more often
than at Israeli military tanks. And the rocks, cement blocks and boulders
that they hurl are far more often thrown by grownmen - who view this as war -  than by photogenic adolescents.

Frimet/Arnold Roth..
This Ongoing War..
09 May '12..

The attention of almost every working reporter and photographer in Israel this week is on the prisoners' hunger strike. We plan to address that a bit later today. Meanwhile, far from their attention, almost entirely unreported, is what ordinary Israelis are coping with. These events listed below are all from the past 48 hours only. They are a selection from what is sometimes called a low-intensity conflict.

Hundreds of violent attacks have been made in the last few days on Israelis driving on the roads, as well as on routine police and army patrols. The names of the places may sound strange and foreign, maybe even exotic, to some of our readers.

But this is where we live.

- The road between Efrat and Tekoa, a few kilometers south of Jerusalem: Rock attacks (described as 'massive') on Israeli vehicles. Damage caused to vehicles.

- Gush Etzion: The Hebron road near El Arub. Several separate incidents of rocks hurled at Israeli vehicles. Damage caused to vehicles.


- Gush Etzion: The Hebron road near the village of Bet Umar, scene of many rock attacks on fast-moving cars. IDF soldier injured moderately in rock attack, requiring medical treatment.

- The Ma'ale Levona/Sinjil road, in the Benjamin district north of Jerusalem. Civilian driver of Israeli vehicle reported being shot at. Security forces were called - unable to find shooter. Damage to vehicle.

- Abu Dis, Jerusalem suburb north-east of Bethlehem: Throng of Palestinian Arabs numbering about 50 individuals kept up a hail of rocks and molotov cocktails for several hours, directed at IDF soldiers.

- Trans-Judea Highway, near Halhoul bridge: Rock-throwing attacks (described as 'massive') directed at Israeli vehicles. Damaged caused to vehicles.

- Kiryat Arba region in vicinity of Bene Naim village: Rock-throwing attacks (described as 'massive') directed at Israeli vehicles. Damaged caused to vehicles.
Southern Hebron hills: Rock-throwing attacks (described as 'massive') directed at Israeli bus from village of El Fuar

- Kiryat Arba region in vicinity of Bet Enun: Rock-throwing attack that went on for several hours, directed at Israeli vehicles. Injuries caused to two Israelis traveling inside the vehicles. Damaged caused to vehicles.

- Kiryat Arba region in vicinity of Bet Enun: Following the rock-throwing attack in Bet Enun vicinity, several Arab residents of the area escaped from the scene in their vehicles, and then attacked IDF soldiers when they arrived in the village to apprehend the rock-throwers. Property damage to 7 Israeli vehicles.

- Negahot in southern Hebron Hills: Rock attacks on Israeli civilians as well as on IDF soldiers near El Fuar.

- Gush Etzion: The road between the villages of Bet Umar El Arub: Significant rock throwing attacks, causing damage to Israeli vehicles.

- Gush Etzion: The Hebron road near Halhoul, north of Hebron: Rock throwing attacks. Israeli passenger bus damaged.

- Road 446 north of Nili in the Benjamin region: Arabs placed cement blocks and rocks in road to create obstacle and to cause damage to vehicles.

- North of Na'alim checkpost: Arabs carried out rock-throwing attack on Israeli vehicles causing damage to vehicles.

- Area between Har Bracha and Kedumim in the Shomron/Samaria district: Brush fire deliberately lit by three Palestinian Arabs. Fire brought under control by fire fighters.

- Qalandia checkpost north of Jerusalem: Arab apprehended by security personnel and found to be carrying concealed weapons. Arrested and taken away for interrogation.

- Road between Tapuach and Migdalim in Shomron/Samaria district: rocks thrown at Israeli vehicles causing damage.

This is by no means a complete list but a selection. The reports come from the voluntary first-responder organization, Hatzalah Yehudah and Shomron. Its 500 volunteer doctors, paramedics, medics, on call 24x7 and working in co-ordination with the IDF and with MDA, Magen David Adom, the Israeli ambulance service, deal with these low-intensity challenges daily. It's a safe bet that not a single one of these attacks of the past two days made it into the newspapers or television/radio news of any of our visitors.

Link: http://thisongoingwar.blogspot.com/2012/05/9-may-12-far-from-cameras-ongoing-low.html

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