Action Alert: Vilnai's Threat

On Friday, Israeli Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai threatened a "shoah" on Gaza in response to qassam rocket fire directed at the Israeli settlement Ashkelon. "Shoah" is a Hebrew term for "big disaster" and is often used to describe the Holocaust.

Israeli leaders have been put under pressure to launch a full-scale invasion of Gaza. Vilnai commented on the situation to Israeli Army Radio:

"The more Qassam fire intensifies and the rockets reach a longer range, [the Palestinians] will bring upon themselves a bigger holocaust because we will use all our might to defend ourselves."

The humanitarian crisis continues within the Gaza Strip, where almost 1.5 million Palestinians remain trapped and without basic needs.
The Council for the National Interest joins the Palestine Center, Electronic Intifada and other organizations in calling for the security of
Palestinians inside the Gaza Strip.

Look for a full report on Israeli action from CNI next week.