Ten months after govt. decision, Sderot schools remain unprotected
By Mijal Grinberg Haaretz Last update - 04:32 07/07/2008
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/999570.html

Tenders for the construction of schools in Sderot with the necessary
fortified areas capable of protecting against rocket attacks are still
pending, as a result of a dispute between Sderot municipality and the
Interior Ministry.

The cabinet decided to construct schools in Sderot capable of withstanding
rocket blasts 10 months ago, but not only have the projects not started,
still no party has secured the tender.

Originally, the matter was handled by the relevant department at the Sderot
municipality, however the winner of the original tender led to an
investigation against the city's mayor, Eli Moyal, for possible conflict of
interest.

The tender issuing process and the decision were revoked by the Interior
Minister, and in a letter by ministry director Aryeh Bar-Shelach to Moyal,
the entire process used by the municipality was declared improper.
Bar-Shelach then passed on responsibility for the construction of the new
schools to the Ministry of Housing.

However, Haaretz has learned that a decision has been made that the Housing
Ministry would not assume responsibility for the construction, and the
matter was returned to the relevant department at the Sderot municipality.

Now the municipality is being asked to issue a new tender for the project,
more than a year after the Supreme Court ruled that the current protection
afforded in Sderot schools is insufficient to meet the threats posed by
rockets from the Gaza Strip.