“The State Comptroller’s report didn’t surprise us. We are familiar with most of the deficiencies mentioned in it from our own internal investigations, and most of them have already been fixed. Unfortunately, the report includes harsh and unfair statements,” a senior Home Front Command officer told Ynet Wednesday.
In the report, which documented the findings of an investigation into the preparedness and functioning of the home front during last summer's war ,State Comptroller Micha Lindernstrauss criticized Home Front Commander Major-General Yitzhak Gershon, who petitioned the High Court against the early publication of the report.
"He painted a deceiving picture of the home front's readiness to the decision-makers and did not act fast enough to protect the citizens," Lindenstrauss wrote of Gershon.
Gershon's lawyers said in response that some of the recommendations made by Lindenstrauss had already been implemented.
"Some of the recommendations were included in inquiries conducted by the Home Front Command after the war.
"But Major-General Gershon ordered the implementation of the comptroller's recommendations the minute a draft of his initial findings was published. The public needs to know that the home front's readiness for the next war, should it be forced on Israel ,will be different," the lawyer said.
The Home Front Command will soon launch a public awareness campaign under the motto "As secure as can be!" which is aimed at teaching the public safety instructions for times of war and will install new alarm sirens in towns and cities hit by Hizbullah rockets last summer.
In addition to recommendations made by the comptroller, IDF Chief of Staff Lit-Gen Gabi Ashkenazi has approved a series of recommendations proposed by the internal inquiries into the army's handling to the home front during the war.
"The IDF is not against the comptroller. We will take his recommendations seriously, and we are not paying lip service," said the Home Front Command officer.
"I have no doubt that we are better prepared to give advice on what falls under our responsibility. We do not need the comptroller's report to improve, but we will learn from it too. It is true we made mistakes but we identified and learned from them," the officer added.
Aviram Zino contributed to this report