Last update - 00:00 24/08/2007
Tamir vows to protect schools in meeting with Sderot parents
By Mijal Grinberg, Haaretz Correspondent and Haaretz Service
Education Minister Yuli Tamir on Friday guaranteed government funding to protect Sderot schoolchildren from continuous Qassam rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip, after a meeting she held in the city with concerned parents and teachers.
The parents said that they would withrdaw their children from school if progress on fortifications against rockets was not made by the start of the school year. This could delay the start of the school year, though Tamir said this would not happen.
Funding will be issued to renovate and fortify bomb shelters in public schools in the western Negev town. The government has also pledged to build new, fortified schools in Sderot; make 54 bus stops and hitchhiking posts in the city resistant to Qassam rocket fire; allocate funds for the construction of new schools and increase the number of buses chaperoning children to school.
"The parents' demands will be met, and the school year will begin as expected. The process of fortifying schools is not a simple one, and it will take a long time to work out" Tamir stated.
During the meeting it was decided that the renovations will be carried out according to the stipulations of the Sderot school board. Bomb shelters in the schools may be used as classrooms until the renovations are completed.
Funding for the renovations is dependant on local authorities demonstrating that they are being carried out in an efficient and effective manner.
Parents said they will demand to see building contracts with construction companies as proof that the process is underway.
Qassam rocket hits Sderot house; family treated for shock
A Qassam rocket struck a house in Sderot on Thursday, damaging the home but causing no injuries.
The family members were treated for shock. A total of seven Qassam rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip at Israel on Thursday.
The Qassam rocket penetrated the roof of the Timasit family home, damaging the house. When the Mr. Timasit heard the Qassam warning siren, he ordered his family to enter the bomb shelter in the home.
The family members were evacuated to the Hosen Center, which specializes in treating shock victims.
Just a few months ago, a Qassam rocket struck the home of a different branch of the Timasit family, seriously wounding Mr, Timasit's sister-in-law.