Home Front Defense Minister Gilad Erdan slammed what he called an "intolerable gap" between Israelis who have access to rocket protection structures in the form of safe zones in modern apartment buildings, and poorer segments of society who lack such facilities, and do not even access to nearby functioning bomb shelters.
Erdan was speaking during a conference on homeland security held by the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) in Tel Aviv.
"A third of Israeli residents have no protection at all – no safe zones in their apartment, no bomb shelters in their buildings, and no functioning public shelters nearby," Erdan said. "Thirty percent have safe zones in their apartments. This is an intolerable gap. We are searching for creative solutions. We've set up an inter-ministerial committee to overcome budgetary and bureaucratic hurdles to finding solutions," he added.
Erdan described the gap as a socio-economic "time bomb," noting that those who reside in buildings built from 1992 onwards have protection from rockets. "Who lacks protection? The weaker sections of society," he said. Erdan said he was working to ensure that most of the casualties in a future war would not hail from those in economic hardships. "There is a governmental and moral obligation to deal with this gap," he said. Erdan lamented the fact that the gaps in rocket protection have remained unchanged since the end of the 2006 Second Lebanon War.
Solutions include government subsidies to install protective measures in apartments or stair cases, Erdan said.
Erdan also expressed doubt that the IDF Home Front Command would be able to deal with civilian emergency needs across the country during a full-scale war. "The enemy will try to fire a maximum number of rockets in the first days. It knows the IDF will try to extinguish rocket fire very quickly. I don't think the home Front Command can respond in many local councils [at the same time]. It's the local councils that must do this. Hence, they have a very important role in preparations," he stated.
Any future conflict would involve a higher scope in incoming Hezbollah projectiles, their range, and ability to inflict damage, with some projectiles carrying warheads of hundreds of kilograms of explosives, Erdan warned. "There's a different [higher] level of accuracy in a growing number of projectiles, and there is no effective way to stop the development and arrival of these weapons. We have to take vital infrastructure into consideration, otherwise it will be difficult to maintain operational continuity in a future war," he said.
Erdan cited regional instability and cautioned that the level of explosiveness is "very, very high." He added that the IDF didn't always like thinking about the new threat to the home front, as this "forces budgetary changes" and the directing of funds to home front defenses.
"The home front is still not ready, not physically and not budget wise. Not in terms of legislation or regulation, for the scenario that the IDF is talking about. Even after we activate all our capabilities and our active defense, many missiles will still fall on the home front," Erdan said.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will soon need to decide whether to grant Erdan and his ministry with greater authorities to institute changes and increase preparations, he added. "I don't know of a model in which a minister has public responsibilities but no authority to take decisions," Erdan said, criticizing the current lack of powers in the hands of the Home Front Defense Ministry.
Earlier, Erdan had a disagreement with the Director of the INSS, Maj.-Gen. (ret.) and former Military Intelligence chief Amos Yadlin, over the scope of the rocket and missile threat.
While Erdan said that the risk was extensive and very major, Yadlin said the figure of 200,000 rockets and missiles pointed at Israel overhyped the threat, noting that most of the projectiles were short-range and inaccurate. "We must put this threat in proportion," he said.
"It's wrong to invest billions in home front defenses. This is not how to win war," Yadlin added.
The best defense against rockets and missiles is deterring Israel's enemies from firing them in the first place, Yadlin argued. "Israel has very strong deterrence. The 200,000 missiles aren't flying at us, and that's not because our enemies our Zionists," he added.
Early warning systems are also a key feature, Yadlin said. "If the public is disciplined, and receives an early warning, the chances of harming us decreases by two folds," he said.
The IDF should focus on building up its versatile capabilities, Yadlin said. Addressing the threat of chemical weapons, Yadlin said, "I'll repeat what I was thinking in 1991, and in 2003. Gas masks are a waste of money. The money would be better used in education and health. I don't know of any use of chemical weapons against a side that can respond with great force. Equipping ourselves with gas masks legitimizes the firing of chemical weapons against us."

By YAAKOV LAPPIN