During the War on Lebanon, the Israeli army installed rocket launching bases near Arab towns and villages in the north, in some cases only a few metres away. The Arab towns of Fassuta, Tarsheeha, and ‘Arab al-‘Aramshe were all subject to this deliberate military policy.

These rocket launching bases are a serious threat to the residents of nearby towns and villages for a number of reasons. First, launching the rockets and firing is ongoing throughout the day and continues into the night. Second, there exists the possibility of misfiring which puts the lives of residents in danger. Finally, there is also the real danger of Hezbollah firing on these bases, exposing the residents of nearby towns and villages to a life threatening reality. Indeed, it is not surprising that residents of these villages were killed by Hezbollah rockets. For example, in Tarsheeha, three residents were killed by Hezbollah rockets near an Israeli rocket launching base.[1]

In addition, the IDF has also transformed areas of certain Arab towns and villages into training camps, in preparation for their ground incursion into Lebanon, which to date has been partially implemented. The training camps are located in the Arab towns of al-Jish, al-Shaghour, Fassuta, Kufr Manda, and Lid. The army validated this decision by saying, “The landscape of Arab towns [in Israel] is similar to Arab towns in Lebanon”. This statement shows how army objectives take uncontested precedence over the severe psychological impacts on the residents nearby, adding to the existing negative psychosocial impact that Arabs face in being seen as an enemy by the Jewish majority.[2]

Footnotes
[1] www.mahsom.com, August 4, 9 2006; www.pls48.net, August 10 2006; Kull al-Arab, August 11 2006, P. 16.
[2] Al-Mithaq, August 11 2006, P. 8.

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