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South Israel rages at Netanyahu as Liberman bows out

Residents of Israel's southern communities are furious with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for failing to respond to Hamas' recent rocket fire with an operation in Gaza, and his defense minister's resignation has left him alone with the blame.
Residents of southern Israel protest against their government's decision to hold fire in Gaza in response to a similar decision by Palestinian militants, in Sderot, Israel November 13, 2018 REUTERS/ Amir Cohen - RC1E20B3BB30
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After a long, tumultuous night of protests in his town, Sderot mayor Alon Davidi stood before the cameras the morning of Nov. 14 and tried to relay how frustrated he felt about the cease-fire with Hamas reached the night before. Davidi is no hothead. He identifies with the right and maintains close ties with quite a few members of the government. Nevertheless, his message was clear. He was disappointed with a government that left the people of his town hostages of Hamas. “I have a lot of respect for the government, but in this case, it is wrong,” he told Keshet’s morning show. “Hamas needs to receive a devastating blow … It is a terrorist government and its people should be targeted.”

Like all residents of the south, Davidi expected Hamas' audacious attack, in which almost 500 rockets were fired in 48 hours, to result in a devastating counter-attack. He and the people of his town were prepared to spend many long days and nights in their protected spaces. But then on Tuesday night, they learned that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and members of his cabinet had negotiated a cease-fire.

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