Arab Terrorists Attack Eliat; No One is Immune

I've been blogging about that horrid, cruel deadly attack on the Boston Marathon.  Please don't think I consider Israel immune from such things.  Arab terrorists in the Sinai launched rockets at the southern city of Eilat today.

Two rockets were fired at southern Israel's city of Eilat from the Sinai Peninsula this morning (Wednesday, April 17).

We shouldn't think the rockets as harmless, just because there was minimal damage. 

Islamic Militant group in Sinai claims responsibility; one rocket falls at building site, second falls in open area.

Landing site of rocket in Eilat, April 17, 2013. Photo: Spokesperson police southern region

       

 

At least two Grad rockets fired from the Sinai area hit Israel's southernmost city of Eilat on Wednesday morning, causing no injuries but some damage.   
An Islamist militant group in the Sinai Peninsula Magles Shoura al-Mujahadin claimed responsibility for the attack on its website on Wednesday saying it targeted Eilat with two Grad missiles and then withdrew safely. (Jerusalem Post)

The Sinai was once the buffer zone for Israel, when we had control of it, from the end of the 1967 Six Days War until then Prime Minister Menachem Begin decided to give it back to Egypt.  Now, especially considering the chaos in Egypt, there's nobody to keep the peace in the Sinai.  It's just the place for Arab terrorism to fester, because it's mostly empty and has a long coastline.

There are no better defense than land and G-d to be perfectly honest.  Land makes it more difficult for enemies to get close, and G-d makes the missile or bullet fall harmlessly.  And don't forget, we can't count on G-d to always make the enemy miss.

Israel's victories are not due to superior weapons or soldiers.  We have defeated our enemies, even when we had insufficient arms.  And no doubt you can easily list militarily strong and advanced countries that have lost wars.  There's also a matter of soldiers' motivation, and there's also that secret, uncontrollable factor which is very involved in Israel's wars.  That's the Yad Elokim, The Hand of G-d.  We must never take for granted that G-d will always save us.  We must make our efforts, and like with "matching funds" if we give, so will G-d.

Eilat Is Also Eretz Yisrael, The Land Of Israel

I'll start with a version of a popular Israeli joke of the past few decades:

A couple just had a baby boy, and they were trying to decide what name to give.

"How about Ya'aqov?" asked the husband
"No," said the wife. "It isn't Biblical enough."

Of course, we all know that Ya'aqov was a very important a crucial Biblical character. He fathered the twelve tribes, but when people talk of "Biblical names," they mean the lesser known ones, like some I'm particularly fond of, Tzruya, She'era and Nedavya.

When we talk of Eretz Yisrael, we think of the Biblical area near Shiloh and the others on the mountain range, like Shechem, Beit El, Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Hebron.

When we think of Eilat, we think of tourists and beaches and marinas. But Eilat also has a Biblical History.

I believe that we each have a place in the Land of Israel where we can feel at home, and that's where we should live. I would never tell someone that they should live in Shiloh and not Eilat, and I just want the same respect.

Here are some of the pictures and movies I took during our recent vacation in Eilat.
















Would you believe that I had never been in Eilat before? That's the truth. I'll be posting more pictures at a later date.