I'm heading to Israel for the next eight days and will sneak in a blog or two during my stay. In the meantime, I'll leave you with this reminder of what the Israelis face on an almost daily basis. From AFP:
Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip on Friday fired six rockets into southern Israel without causing casualties or damages, the Israeli military said.
The fresh volleys came after dozens of rockets and mortar rounds rained down on Israel on Wednesday following military operations in Gaza which killed seven Palestinian militants.
Islamic Jihad claimed Friday's attacks, saying in a statement issued in Gaza that they were a response to "the Zionist aggressions."
Despite the violence, Deputy Defence Minister Matan Vilnai said on Thursday that Israel favoured an extension of the six-month Gaza truce that followed months of deadly clashes.
Hamas said they would consider the proposal.
Friday's rocket attacks came as U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice held talks in Israel in an effort to push forward the Middle East peace process.
Translation: she is pressuring Israel to make concessions that would weaken its national security, as Hamas and Hezbollah refuse to lay down their arms.