This website was created in 2008 and taken offline in 2018.
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For several days prior to March 4, 2008, the coastal city of Ashkelon was targeted by Hamas using a new Iranian-produced rocket, called "grad" by the Israelis. The grad is more powerful and has a longer range than the kassam, and put this city of 120,000 within range for the first time. This led to the Israeli invasion of Gaza on March 1. Ashkelon is among the most beautiful of Israel's cities, with a history going back to the time of the Canaanites, and was referred to in Egyptian texts as early as 1800 BCE. In the rocket attacks seven people were wounded, and many were treated for shock, mostly the elderly. One rocket fell near the city's marina. I went to Ashkelon to get some sense of how people were reacting to the attacks, and to do what would be at best a superficial comparison between Ashkelon and Sderot. |
 Sculpture in Ashkelon, Israel |
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 There are many public sculptures in Ashkelon, and this was one of my favorites. |
 Immigrants from Ethiopia make up a large part of Ashkelon's population, along with Russians. |
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 The restaurants at the Ashkelon Marina suffered for a few days as people stayed away, but according to staff this day saw the return of many customers. |
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 The neighborhoods I visited in the approximately eight hours I was in Ashkelon were more relaxed than Sderot. There did not seem to be that sense of uneasiness and imminent attack. But this is a subjective opinion based on a few conversations and walking several miles through the city . |
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 Soldier |
 Skater |
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Above: in Ashkelon there was very little clustering around bomb shelters, such as is sometimes seen in Sderot. The city has a more youthful feel to it, and more of a sense of prosperity. Many new projects are underway.  Ashkelon has many open spaces and some of the best urban parks in Israel, but it also has densely-built areas with high-rise apartment buildings, creating a greater possibility of a rocket actually hitting something. |
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The Ashkelon beachfront, which is bordered in the south by many antiquities including extensive Roman ruins, is scheduled for development as a major tourist area. |
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 Shopping mall |
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