S'13
01-22-2004, 07:30 AM
This article is from February 25, 2002.
Palestinian Qassam Rockets Pose New Threat to Israel
by Mara Karlin
With the recent launching of four Qassam rockets, the Palestinians have demonstrated a willingness and ability to dramatically escalate their armed attacks on Israel.
The firing of the Qassam has introduced an entirely new dimension into the ongoing Palestinian violence by enabling the Palestinians to launch large-scale attacks against Israeli citizens while remaining within areas under control of the Palestinian Authority (PA), thereby avoiding Israeli checkpoints and other security procedures that often halt terrorist infiltration into Israel.
The Qassam-1 and Qassam-2 are rockets that were developed by the Islamic terrorist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip with the aid of the Palestinian Authority (PA), according to Israeli security officials. The rockets are a shorter-range version of the Katyusha rockets used by Hezbollah to attack Israelis living in northern Israel.
The Qassam-1 is thought to have a range of up to three miles, while the six-foot long Qassam-2 has a range of up to five miles and can carry a payload of more than 20 pounds of explosives.
Israeli sources say as many as 200 Qassam-2s may be stockpiled in Gaza and the West Bank. The presence of rockets in the West Bank was confirmed earlier this month when a surprise inspection by IDF soldiers led to the discovery of eight Qassam launchers and fuses concealed beneath fruits, vegetables and other goods in the bed of a Palestinian truck. Despite this seizure, large craters in Israel containing fragments of the exploded rockets and Hamas video footage showing terrorists launching the weapons, the PA continues to deny the very existence of the Qassam-2.
Perhaps the greatest threat the Qassam-2 poses to Israel is its ability to significantly alter the strategic balance between Israel and the Palestinians by enabling the Palestinians to directly threaten Israeli population centers near the West Bank and Gaza. Hamas leader Moussa Abu Marzook recently boasted on CBS’s “60 Minutes” that rockets launched from the West Bank are already “able to hit Jewish neighborhoods of Jerusalem.” Israeli security officials are becoming increasingly concerned that the Palestinians may soon improve the rockets’ accuracy and range, enabling them to strike Israel’s major cities and threaten Ben Gurion International Airport.
Israel’s ability to defend against this Palestinian weapon is hampered by the fact that the Qassam-2 rockets can strike within Israel mere seconds after being fired. In addition, the diminutive size of the rockets and the launchers allows them to be quickly assembled, launched and moved. Unlike Saddam Hussein’s larger Scud missiles, the Qassam-2 cannot be easily observed by Israeli satellites.
The United States has voiced concern about the the threat posed to Israel by the Qassam-2, with the State Department calling the firing of the weapons “deeply troubling.” In Israel, the greatest concern is that the Palestinians will continue their terrorist attacks, signaling a desire to further escalate their guerrilla warfare.
IDF Spokesman Jacob Dallal, speaking in ominous terms, says that the firing of the Qassam-2 “is close to what one sees in a more conventional war.
http://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/meast/02/16/qassam.facts/story.qassam.rockets.idf.jpg
http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/images/maps/misslemapweb.gif
Since September 2000 and up until June 2003, over 140 Qassam rockets have been launched from the Gaza Strip area.
Palestinian Qassam Rockets Pose New Threat to Israel
by Mara Karlin
With the recent launching of four Qassam rockets, the Palestinians have demonstrated a willingness and ability to dramatically escalate their armed attacks on Israel.
The firing of the Qassam has introduced an entirely new dimension into the ongoing Palestinian violence by enabling the Palestinians to launch large-scale attacks against Israeli citizens while remaining within areas under control of the Palestinian Authority (PA), thereby avoiding Israeli checkpoints and other security procedures that often halt terrorist infiltration into Israel.
The Qassam-1 and Qassam-2 are rockets that were developed by the Islamic terrorist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip with the aid of the Palestinian Authority (PA), according to Israeli security officials. The rockets are a shorter-range version of the Katyusha rockets used by Hezbollah to attack Israelis living in northern Israel.
The Qassam-1 is thought to have a range of up to three miles, while the six-foot long Qassam-2 has a range of up to five miles and can carry a payload of more than 20 pounds of explosives.
Israeli sources say as many as 200 Qassam-2s may be stockpiled in Gaza and the West Bank. The presence of rockets in the West Bank was confirmed earlier this month when a surprise inspection by IDF soldiers led to the discovery of eight Qassam launchers and fuses concealed beneath fruits, vegetables and other goods in the bed of a Palestinian truck. Despite this seizure, large craters in Israel containing fragments of the exploded rockets and Hamas video footage showing terrorists launching the weapons, the PA continues to deny the very existence of the Qassam-2.
Perhaps the greatest threat the Qassam-2 poses to Israel is its ability to significantly alter the strategic balance between Israel and the Palestinians by enabling the Palestinians to directly threaten Israeli population centers near the West Bank and Gaza. Hamas leader Moussa Abu Marzook recently boasted on CBS’s “60 Minutes” that rockets launched from the West Bank are already “able to hit Jewish neighborhoods of Jerusalem.” Israeli security officials are becoming increasingly concerned that the Palestinians may soon improve the rockets’ accuracy and range, enabling them to strike Israel’s major cities and threaten Ben Gurion International Airport.
Israel’s ability to defend against this Palestinian weapon is hampered by the fact that the Qassam-2 rockets can strike within Israel mere seconds after being fired. In addition, the diminutive size of the rockets and the launchers allows them to be quickly assembled, launched and moved. Unlike Saddam Hussein’s larger Scud missiles, the Qassam-2 cannot be easily observed by Israeli satellites.
The United States has voiced concern about the the threat posed to Israel by the Qassam-2, with the State Department calling the firing of the weapons “deeply troubling.” In Israel, the greatest concern is that the Palestinians will continue their terrorist attacks, signaling a desire to further escalate their guerrilla warfare.
IDF Spokesman Jacob Dallal, speaking in ominous terms, says that the firing of the Qassam-2 “is close to what one sees in a more conventional war.
http://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/meast/02/16/qassam.facts/story.qassam.rockets.idf.jpg
http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/images/maps/misslemapweb.gif
Since September 2000 and up until June 2003, over 140 Qassam rockets have been launched from the Gaza Strip area.