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A fter water seeped its way into the main bath and kitchen of John
and Kathleen Ranalli's Troy home, they were heedful in choosing
a company to repair the damage. "The first thing you look for,
naturally, is someone who is trustworthy," John said, noting that he
was immediately reminded of a special newscast he saw on Fox 2 in
December highlighting the home makeover Gittleman did free of
charge for a young woman suffering from cancer.
John said, although they explored other companies, in the end they
decided Gittleman was right for them. It was that news segment that
sealed the deal. We felt that they were honest and dependable."
However, it was winter, and the Ranallis were still apprehensive at the
thought of home repairs — people treading in and out of their house,
the mess, the inconvenience. But they were pleasantly surprised with
the Gittleman team and appreciated the fact that all the crew
members were very conscientious of keeping their home intact.
Sderot evacuees from Gaza rocket attacks sit with their children in Givat
Olga near Hadera on Monday.
The Arms Anxiety
As much as the government is worried
about the Kassams, it is even more
concerned about the flow of arms
through tunnels under the Philadelphi
route along the border between Egypt
and Gaza. Senior Israeli officers predict
that unless something is done to stop
the flow of weaponry into Gaza, Hamas
as the main recipient will be able to
field a formidable military machine
within a year. Tons of arms, including
anti-tank weapons, Grad ground-to-
ground rockets, anti-aircraft missiles
and high explosives are said to be
pouring into Gaza on a daily basis.
The Israeli military is concerned
as well by increasing numbers of
Hamas militiamen slipping across the
border into Egypt and making their
way to Iran for training. The Israel
Defense Forces estimates that unless
the arms flow is staunched, it won't be
long before Hamas is able to strike at
Israeli civilian targets as far away as
Beersheba, 30 miles from Gaza. It is
this buildup and the potential future
threat that is leading people like Eiland
to think in terms of a pre-emptive
strike and/or other far-reaching moves
that change the rules of the game.
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni is press-
ing for the deployment of an interna-
tional force on the Palestinian side of
the border to stop the smuggling. In a
break from Israel's traditional opposi-
tion to any international presence in
Palestinian territory, Livni envisages
a force modeled along the lines of
the 11,000-strong UNIFIL contin-
gent patrolling the Lebanese border
with Israel, with a similarly "robust"
mandate to stop arms smuggling
from Egypt into Gaza. In a mid-May
meeting with foreign ambassadors in
Jerusalem, Livni actually put the ball in
the international community' court.
"We are ready to consider such a
force, but will you be ready to provide
it?" she challenged the assembled dig-
nitaries.
Israeli officials acknowledge that
getting the international commu-
nity to intervene in this way will be
a hard sell. But they maintain that if
the community doesn't move to stop
the arms smuggling, it won't be in a
position to point fingers if and when
Israel does. Much of the debate in
Israel suggests impending escalation.
But there are voices, including some
in the Labor Party, saying that Israel
ought to rethink its diplomatic boy-
cott of Hamas and agree to talk to the
radical organization. They argue that
unilateral moves have proved a failure
and President Mahmoud Abbas of
the more moderate Fatah movement
has shown he cannot deliver, whereas
Hamas would be able to make a deal
with Israel stick.
What would there be to talk about?
A long-term hudna, or cease-fire
— 10 or even 20 years — in return
for Israeli withdrawal from most of the
West Bank and the establishment of a
Palestinian state in the West Bank and
Gaza. With the Kassams still whistling
across the border, however, that seems
a long way away. 11
"Immediately when they got to the house, they prepped everything. They covered the floor and kept everything contained
to just the affected areas, and every day the guys would clean up before they left," he said. "What we thought was going
to be a painful experience really ended up being noninvasive."
The project, which involved a complete bathroom remodeling and replacement of the kitchen ceiling, lasted three weeks
from start to finish. And the Ranallis couldn't be happier with the way the process panned out. "They were here every
day on time and the price they quoted never changed. They aim to please and they did not sign off on the final
documents until they went through the place with a fine-toothed comb," John said. "We are pleased with the final result
— the workmanship was great and everything is exactly what we hoped for."
So when the time comes for you to choose a remodeling company to undo what mother nature has done, chose the one
you can trust to come into your home and complete the task painlessly, on time and on budget. Choose Gittleman.
JUST ASK THE RANALLIS.
GITTLEMAN
CONSTRUCTION inc
28580 ORCHARD LAKE RD., SUITE 102
FARMINGTON HILLS, MI 48334
248.538.5400
www.gittleman.net
CUSTOM
RENOVATIONS
Answering
Israel's Critics
The Charge
Last week, during Israel's celebra-
tion of the 40th anniversary of the
reunification of Jerusalem, a critical
International Red Cross report was
leaked. It charged Israel with illegal
occupation of Jerusalem and the
illegal building of a barrier separat-
ing Jewish and Arab neighborhoods.
The Answer
East Jerusalem is not occupied.
Israel incorporated it into Israel
following its reunification with the
western side of the city in 1967 and
established Israeli law there. The
final status of Arab neighborhoods
in the city will only be determined
in peace negotiations between
Israel and its Arab neighbors.
- Allan Gale
Jewish Community Relations Council
©Copyright May 24, 2007
Jewish Renaissance Media
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