Tel Aviv [Israel], An unresolved disagreement between the defense and interior ministries leaves Israel unprepared to properly evacuate residents of northern communities if the conflict with Hezbollah escalates, state comptroller Matanyahu Englman warned Thursday.
"The unresolved reality, nine months after the war, at a time when tens of thousands of people from two areas of Israel are displaced from their homes, with the looming possibility of war in the north, is unacceptable," he wrote Englman in a Letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Interior Minister Moshe Arbel maintains that his ministry is only responsible for evacuating residents to take shelter in local schools when ordered by the government. Any transfer to a hotel, or on a voluntary basis, is the responsibility of the Ministry of Defense, according to Arbel.
However, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant maintains that the Interior Ministry is responsible for all evacuees, regardless of whether they did so voluntarily or at the direction of the government.
Resolving the ministerial impasse "is of utmost importance to regulate the treatment of the evacuated population," Englman wrote.
The comptroller, also known as the state ombudsman, regularly publishes reports auditing Israeli preparedness and the effectiveness of government policies.
Since October 7, Hezbollah rocket and drone attacks have killed 10 civilians and 15 soldiers. Leaders of the Iran-backed terrorist group have said they will continue attacks to prevent thousands of residents of northern Israel from returning to their homes.
Israeli officials have been calling for Hezbollah to be disarmed and expelled from southern Lebanon in accordance with UN Security Council resolution 1701, which ended the Second Lebanon War in 2006.
Hezbollah's rocket fire has intensified since June as Israeli and Hezbollah leaders have stepped up their rhetoric.
Speaking to reporters in Washington on Wednesday, Gallant said Israel could send Lebanon "back to the Stone Age."
"The unresolved reality, nine months after the war, at a time when tens of thousands of people from two areas of Israel are displaced from their homes, with the looming possibility of war in the north, is unacceptable," he wrote Englman in a Letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Interior Minister Moshe Arbel maintains that his ministry is only responsible for evacuating residents to take shelter in local schools when ordered by the government. Any transfer to a hotel, or on a voluntary basis, is the responsibility of the Ministry of Defense, according to Arbel.
However, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant maintains that the Interior Ministry is responsible for all evacuees, regardless of whether they did so voluntarily or at the direction of the government.
Resolving the ministerial impasse "is of utmost importance to regulate the treatment of the evacuated population," Englman wrote.
The comptroller, also known as the state ombudsman, regularly publishes reports auditing Israeli preparedness and the effectiveness of government policies.
Since October 7, Hezbollah rocket and drone attacks have killed 10 civilians and 15 soldiers. Leaders of the Iran-backed terrorist group have said they will continue attacks to prevent thousands of residents of northern Israel from returning to their homes.
Israeli officials have been calling for Hezbollah to be disarmed and expelled from southern Lebanon in accordance with UN Security Council resolution 1701, which ended the Second Lebanon War in 2006.
Hezbollah's rocket fire has intensified since June as Israeli and Hezbollah leaders have stepped up their rhetoric.
Speaking to reporters in Washington on Wednesday, Gallant said Israel could send Lebanon "back to the Stone Age."
