Eilat residents at about midnight reported hearing three explosions in the southern resort city, which was later attributed to a rocket attack. B’chasdei Hashem there were no reported injuries or damage. Remnants of a Grad katyusha rocket were found on a construction site in the city.

As a result of the attack, Defense Ministry officials are speaking of providing Iron Dome coverage for Eilat as well, to increase the umbrella of coverage given by the rocket intercept defense system currently shielding Ashdod, Ashkelon, Beersheva and other southern municipalities.

The saying “offense is the best defense” may be applicable to some countries, but one cannot say this is the case in Israel. The installation of plastic rock-resistant windows that began with the failed Oslo Agreement of 1993 is now a way of life for residents of Yehuda, Shomron, Jerusalem’s Old City and other areas. All Egged buses and MDA ambulances operating in Jerusalem use these non-glass windows, all to enable them to operate in areas that are ‘high-risk’, such as MDA responding to calls in Arab neighborhoods of the capital. It appears the rock attacks are the Arab version of Oslo’s “dual existence”.

Instead of addressing the cause of the problem, the firing of rockets and rock attacks, we are now looking into more ‘plastic windows’, in this case, the Iron Dome.

Defense officials are still uncertain if one or three rockets were fired, but all appear in agreement that a rocket(s) was fired at Israel during the night.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)