ROLENE MARKS

“Domey” – the little defence system that could

Residents of Haifa were rudely awakened this morning by a siren at 03:30. Rockets were fired from Lebanon and landed in Metula. Last night a rocket launched from Gaza hit a gas station in Ashdod, injuring three, one severely.

Sirens continue to wail across Israel but defiant in the face of rocket barrages from Hamas, Israelis are going about their business. You know you live in Israel when you are more excited to see an Iron Dome battery standing guard in your city than a visiting movie star.

IDF troops have amassed on the Gaza border and have warned residents to evacuate. Hamas have told their civilians to ignore Israeli warnings. In the meantime, the government have agreed to roll out more Iron Dome batteries across the country.

Iron Dome or “Domey” as she is affectionately called, is the little defence system that could (make a difference between life and death). Initially military authorities were against it but it proved its capabilities during Operation Pillar of Fire and now feels like a part of every Israeli family.

In a rare statement of Agreement, the UN has released a report saying that that in most cases where Palestinians have been killed or injured during Israel’s ongoing Gaza campaign, the Israeli army alerted civilians ahead of time who were occupying buildings, that they planned to bomb in Gaza, to leave the premises. The report was released by the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs, July 9, 2014.

As we usher in Shabbat we pray for quiet and peace to reign over the country. 

• Rolene Marks made aliyah in 2010 and lives in Modiin. She is a regular contributor to SAJR-Online and her BLOGS and OTHER WRITINGS can be found at these links. She is a member of SA’s Media Team Israel and she can be heard on ChaiFM every Monday. Rolene will be in SA later this month to launch the brand new global Zionist Spring movement with Ruchama Avraham who will speak in CT on 22 & Johannesburg on 24 July. Admission is free but advanced RSVP is required from: info@zionistspring.org