Due to their own government’s reckless, murderous and unlawful policies, the people of Sderot, Israel have been the victims of Hamas rocket fire.

Hamas is the weaker party, it doesn’t have jets and advanced weapons like Israel, all it has are crude homemade rockets. Hamas officials explain that they must use all means, including random rocket firing, to apply pressure on Israel to release innocent imprisoned Palestinians, recognize Hamas as a legitimate government elected in a free election and end the internationally illegal economic blockade of Gaza. Hamas uses its rockets solely as self-defense and as a last resort, disusing the rockets would deny Hamas any measure of self-defense against Israeli routine violence. Regardless of Hamas’ justification, these rockets do not often fall on the Israeli military, but on the nearby town of Sderot.

Although the rockets almost never kill anyone, they have greatly undermined normal life in the town.

In that regard, many resident of Sderot, and across Israel, cheered their army’s attack against the Palestinians of Gaza, and were indifferent or gleeful to the incredible killing of innocent civilians.

But not all. 500 Sderot residents have signed a petition calling for an end to the massive and often indiscriminate Israeli bombing of Gaza. Arik Yalin, 43, organized the petition: “About a month ago we realized that the situation was about to deteriorate into total chaos It’s important for us to voice an opinion that represents quite a few residents who live within the rocket range but who believe that we can, and should try to resolve this ongoing conflict in a peaceful manner.

“We have experienced the terrible hardship of life under rocket fire for the past eight years, and it has deeply hurt us both mentally and physically. Our need to voice a different stance stems from the strong desire to change the situation and begin negotiations with the other side in order to stop the violence.”

The petition reads:

The period of clam change the lives of the people of Sderot, Ashkelon and the region beyond recognition, allowing all of us to experience again a life that is more normal and sane. The continuation of this calm is essential and criticial to the residents of the region from every possible aspect: physical, mental, spiritual and economic.

Another round of escalation may break our already brittle spirit, and take us all to another round of self-destruction and pointless bloodshed. It is not certain that we will survive. And you must be aware of that, if you indeed care about the residents of this area. We’ve been through this movie too many years–and results speak for themselves: feeling trapped, abandonment, and hopelessness for us and our children!

On the other side of the border live a million and a half Palestinians under unbearable conditions, and most of them want, like we do, calm and the opportunity of a future for themselves and their families.

We live in the feeling that you have wasted that period of calm, instead of using it to advance understandings and begin negotiations, as well as for fortifying the houses of residents as promised.

We call on the Prime Minister and the Defense minister not to listen to the voices of incitement and do everything they can to avoid another round of escalation, to secure the continuation of the calm and to work...towards direct or indirect negotiations with the Palestinian leadership in Gaza in order to reach long term understandings.

We prefer a cold war without a single rocket to a hot war with dozens of victims and innocent fatalities on both sides.

We ask you to offer us the possibility of political arrangement and hope and not an endless cycle of blood.