It's Not Rocket Science

There is a very interesting article called "Growing Up in Electronics: A Wonderful Hobby on a Shoestring" on a website by Nathan Zeldes. Nathan talks about how in his youth he built all sorts of electronic devices from scavenged parts and surplus components. It is quite amazing that the phrase, "necessity is the mother of invention" is actually true - when you don't have first-quality parts readily available, you figure out ways to make things work with the parts that you do have.

I admire the soldiers of the early days of Israel whose innovative spirit was their most valuable weapon. Figuring out how to succeed when you have only sub-standard or minimal equipment is a big challenge - and something to be proud of, I suppose. And that's what makes the underdog so attractive. After all, David slew the mighty Goliath with only a pebble.

For years the (so called) Palestinian Arabs have been viewed as the underdog - the poor Arab proudly standing up to the mighty and bullish Israel - rocks versus tanks. And, surprise, what do I read on the Israel National News (Arutz 7) Website? The poor Palestinians have developed a sophisticated rocket industry in Gaza. Not only do the Palestinians have Kassam rockets, but they have developed numerous flavours of rockets including the Shihab-3, Saria-2, Nasser-3, Aksa-3 the Najam-3 and, not to forget the anti-tank missile called the Al-Batar.

Look what an impoverished, uneducated and isolated group of refugees has managed to create. Not only have they been able to make-do with whatever limited resources they have at their disposal, but they have managed to build their own rockets. Did this happen overnight, since Hamas came to power? Or perhaps they needed a little more time to perfect these weapons, say since the death of Arafat? I posit that the Pals have been developing their rocket technology for many years, perhaps since or before Oslo. What have they been doing with your money, Mr EU? Where have all those funds been going, Mr UN?

Now they have an arsenal of rockets of all different designs and capabilities pointed at Sderot, Ashkelon and the populations of the Western Negev. Rockets, no less. That's a far cry from a slingshot. To date, the miracle is that the rockets mostly cause damage rather than deaths (although they certainly have found their mark and killed before). But all it takes is one direct hit on a kindergarten, G-d forbid.

By the Arabs using rockets, they have upped the ante. Since when does a country sit back and watch the enemy launch deadly rockets into its territory and not do more than shrug it's shoulders? This is a real war. The enemy is at the gates. War has been declared. It's time to wake up, Israel. It's time to protect your own people, your own borders, your own lives. The answer is staring you in the face.

It's not rocket science.