Parents in Ashkelon's have called on the municipality to delay the opening of the school year, scheduled for Wednesday, after the State said there was no place for making Ashkelon "an exception from the general policy on fortifying education institutions established by the government."
In an updated response toa High Court petition filed by the Ashkelon parents' committee regarding the fortification of educational institutions in the city against rocket attacks, the State Prosecutors' Office said Sunday, "There is no pretext justifying the distinction between Ashkelon and other cities and towns that have been damaged in the general escalation of events in recent years - including Haifa, the Krayot, Kiryat Gat, Beersheba, and Yavne."
The Ashkelon parents' committee called on Mayor Benny Vaknin to "make good on his promise" and not open the school year on Wednesday. "Any other decision will mean abandoning the children to the missiles," the committee said.
However, the mayor said there was no point in delaying the opening of the school year, "particularly in light of the relative calm in the region."
Earlier, Mayor Vaknin insisted that Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai (Labor) had promised that Ashkelon's schools would be fortified.
"We will continue the public campaign. There is a decision to fortify educational institutions in communities surrounding the Gaza Strip. In this respect, Ashkelon is no different from these communities."
Sofie Hotovely Pinhas, deputy chairwoman of the Ashkelon Municipal Parents' Committee, said the State's response "shocked" the parents.