Gaza Rocket Attack Kills 2 in Sderot, Israel

This story has been buried in most of the U.S. media, but Haaretz has reported that a Qassam rocket fired from the Gaza strip has killed two people and critically wounded another in the Israeli town of Sderot.

This is significant because although militants in Gaza (Hamas has claimed responsibility for this attack) routinely fire rockets into Israel, none have ever caused injuries or deaths until the attack today.

This follows a period of relative safety, at least inside Israel -- no Israeli civilians have been killed in almost three months -- but is a reminder that things are not getting better.

While Sharon will undoubtedly order a swift, asymmetric response to this attack, a woman interviewed in a New York Times article about the attack viewed it as yet another sign of how badly every Israeli and Palestinian needs peace:

"This has been my life for the past three years," said Martine Simone, 44, who was talking emotionally in the kindergarten's playground with parents and other residents. "I love my country and I don't have a choice but to live here. But I'm prepared to give up things for peace."

The biggest problem for Israelis, Palestinians and Americans is that our leaders and governments aren't looking out for us and what we want. If I knew how to correct that, I would have done it, but I think grassroots activism can go a long way towards making things better.