Minister Cabel: State of shelters in north still bad

Minister visits Kiryat Shmona - hard hit during second Lebanon war; says fortifications leave region 'not adequately prepared for war'
Hagai Einav

Tuesday, chairman of the ministerial committee on the state of the nation Minister Eitan Cabel (Labor) toured bomb shelters in the northern Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona. "Half a year after the war…we're not adequately prepared in terms of shelters," he said.

Cabel explained that he chose to tour the shelters in Kiryat Shmona specifically because this is the town that absorbed the most rocket hits during the second Lebanon war.

"The situation in the shelters that we saw is not good and I hold all the parties responsible, from the local authorities to the military and the government," he declared.

"Until now, no one took the necessary steps required during peace, not under fire," he added.

Cabel tours shelters with Kiryat Shmona mayor (Photo: Avihu Shapira)

Kiryat Shmona has some 200 public shelters, and a similar number of joint or private shelters. Only a few of these shelters were renovated in recent years and it's difficult for the residents to stay for extended periods of time in the other, non-renovated ones.

"We need to prepare these shelters to lodge residents for extended periods of time, since in the next war, our enemy might shoot rockets as far as the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, making evacuation irrelevant," Cabel explained.

"Most of the shelters are complete in terms of fortifications, but they still need painting, cleaning, taps for drinking water and new bathrooms," he stated.

'This is enough to take care of only a few shelters'

"Unfortunately, a several shelters were vandalized and the local authorities need to establish a mechanism to be responsible for the maintenance of these shelters, even during peace time," he continued.

Cabel stated his intention of presenting an organized plan to the ministerial committee in the upcoming weeks, regarding the implementation of recommendations on the issue, as part of the larger issue of protecting towns in the north.

The Kiryat Shmona municipality lauded Cabel's initiative. Municipality spokesperson Doron Shenfar said: "The State of Israel made a bad decision in 2003 to stop the city's government security grant."

"This grant, of NIS 25 million (about USD 6 million) per year went primarily towards shelter maintenance, and since it was stopped, we have relied largely on donations from abroad and volunteer groups who help with shelter maintenance," he stated.

"Sadly, this is enough to take care of only a few shelters," Shenfar said.

"Kiryat Shmona Mayor Haim Barbivai told the military and the government about the neglect and difficulties regarding the issue, and I hope that following Minister Cabel's tour here, clear recommendations will be issued to fix the matter."

"Only care during peace time will provide residents of Kiryat Shmona and other towns in the north with good fortifications in their hour of need," Shenfar concluded.