Letter of the day: Put yourself in the shoes of a Sderot child

Rina Castelnuovo, New York Time

A man examined a damaged building in Sderot, Israel, Jan. 17. The town has been the target of rockets fired from the nearby Gaza Strip.

Last update: January 28, 2008 - 5:36 PM

Imagine there were terrorists in Canada endlessly shooting rockets and mortars into International Falls and Baudette. That's what Israeli border towns are enduring.

Between Jan. 15 and 18, Hamas fired more than 150 rockets into Israeli towns, most landing in the town of Sderot. Normal life in Sderot is a thing of the past. Not a day goes by that the red-alert warning system does not sound, giving children on playgrounds and in schools and parents at home and at work less than 15 seconds to find the nearest shelter before the next rocket comes slamming into their lives.

What nation would stand by and do nothing in response to these unprovoked attacks? Israel constantly tries to balance protecting its citizens with the humanitarian concerns of the Palestinians. During the power cut to Gaza, 75 percent of power continued and Israel supplied extra fuel oil, diesel oil and humanitarian aid.

MICKI HERMAN, MINNEAPOLIS

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