Bereaved Sderot son: Olmert didn't protect dad
Dozens of Sderot youths march to J'lem, protest in front of PM's office with cardboard Qassams, call for gov't to stop rocket attacks from Gaza.12 year old protestor Hanan Yaakobov, whose father was killed from a Qassam last week, called for Olmert to resign
Following a four-day march dozens of Sderot youths arrived at Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office in Jerusalem Thursday evening to protest against the Qassam rocket attacks on the western Negev town.
The marchers, who left for the capital last Monday, carried Israeli flags, torches and cardboard 'rockets'; “We don’t want Qassams, we want security,” they chanted. Protester Aviv Abeksis told Ynet, “I am not a
hysterical person, but the attacks are getting closer and closer. My aunt Ela was killed in an attack, and after a Qassam landed outside my home friends residing outside Sderot are afraid to visit me.She said she hoped the demonstration would arouse public opinion on the dire situation in Sderot.
Roee Zana, 18, who is about to enlist in the army, said, “I was raised on a country that defeated a thousand enemies and solved a million problems, but it cannot overcome the Qassams. “I am not calling on Olmert to resign,” he added, “I came here to urge him to do his job.”
On Thursday the marchers were joined by 12 year old Hanan Yaakobov, whose father Yaakov was killed last week after a Qassam hit the meat packing factory where he worked.
Hanan did not come empty handed however, in his pocket was a letter addressed to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and which Hanan hopes to deliver when the protest reaches the capital Thursday evening. Accompanying Hanan is his uncle Zamiro Yaakobov, who vowed that this march was only the first step in the struggle of Sderot's residents and his family: "We will not keep silent anymore; we intend to protest what is happening. We may be protesting in front of the office of the government today but our message is for (all of) the members of the Knesset. They must wake up, they must pressure the government to act. We want the public to know what is happening in Sderot, what kind of lives we lead. This isn't a field trip to Jerusalem, we want everyone to understand that what happened to my brother Yaakov, to Hanan's father, can happen to anyone anywhere in Israel."
'Dad was scared for us, and you didn't protect him'
The following is the content of Hanan's letter to PM Olmert: "Mr. Prime Minister, today we have joined our fellow youths from Sderot who have been marching towards Jerusalem in protest for several days. We come to Jerusalem today to tell you one thing: Your government has failed, you have failed, you need to take responsibility and go home.
Hanan Yaakobov en route to the march (Photo: Amir Cohen)
"For six years now living in Sderot is not truly living, we have no security, no quiet, and we feel as though you don't care at all. My father, may he rest in peace, wouldn't even let us take down the garbage because he was scared for us. In the past month alone over 300 Qassams have fallen here and that hasn't made you or your government do anything.
"Our family emigrated from Russia 12 years ago. I can assure you that this could never happen there. There the government would not allow an entire town to be turned into cannon fodder for so long a period. But you don't care, you continue to employ policies of fear and weakness on the backs of Sderot's residents and agree to a ceasefire on the Arab's conditions. And even now that there is a ceasefire the Qassams continue and we continue to live in fear."
"Our family could simply leave Sderot and move elsewhere, somewhere quiet and safer but then what? After we left Gush Katif we will leave Sderot and then leave Ashkelon and where will we end up then? We feel it is our duty to stay in the town and we will remain strong but you must go home because you have failed and you have no solution. Mr. Prime Minister – you failed when you couldn't protect my father. Resign."
Shmulik Hadad contributed to this report
