Gaza bombs keep ticking

Ambassador Gillerman warns Security Council that recent Gaza Strip lull is only on surface, compares Palestinians celebrations in wake of Jerusalem yeshiva massacre to extremists' response following September 11

Israeli Ambassador to the UN Dan Gillerman warned UN Security Council members on Tuesday that the recent lull in Gaza was deceptive and superficial.

"Though some wish to refer to the apparent lull in Hamas’ rocket attacks, I must warn that the perceived quiet is only on the surface," Gillerman said. "The bombs keep ticking, albeit quietly."

"The rockets out of Gaza have not stopped. Hamas is using this time to smuggle in and produce more rockets," the UN envoy said. "It is a silent promise – a promise of what is to come next: more terror and more violence, more extremism and more bloodshed."

The ambassador added that Qassams keep on raining on Sderot, while Ashkelon has also been targeted, by longer ranged Grad missiles. He noted that Hamas is able to continue its arms smuggling operations thanks to Iranian and Syrian assistance.

'Zero-sum equation'
Gillerman also made it clear that Israel must not negotiate with Hamas.

"Dealing with extremists is a zero-sum equation," he said. Turning his attention to the terror attack at Mercaz Harav yeshiva in Jerusalem, Gillerman said: "As mothers and fathers were called to retrieve the remains of their slaughtered sons, the extremists in Gaza rejoiced at the spilling of Israeli blood."

"If anyone doubted what the extremists stand for, the reaction in Gaza to the murder of eight Israeli boys sets the record straight. It was also a stark reminder that these were the same people who danced on the rooftops after September 11," he said.

Gillerman spoke in response to a long speech by Palestinian Observer Riad Mansour, who slammed Israel's "violent occupation" and what he referred to as ongoing settlement activity and human rights violations.