Subscribe to Print Edition | Fri., November 02, 2007 Cheshvan 21, 5768 | | Israel Time: 07:45 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Print Edition Diplomacy Defense Arts & Leisure Real Estate Jewish World National Advertising Magazine Week's End Business Opinion Rosner's Domain Anglo File Books Travel

GOC Home Front Command Yitzhak Gershon. (Archives) del.icio.us Digg It!  new Last update - 22:07 01/11/2007 IDF Home Front chief told war panel: I'm happy with pre-war preparations By Yuval Azoulay, Haaretz Correspondent tags: Second Lebanon War  Israel Defense Forces GOC Home Front Command Yitzhak Gershon told the Winograd Committee investigating the Second Lebanon War that he is content with himself regarding the preparations for war undertaken by the command. According to testimony made public Thursday, Gershon admitted that the war exposed inter- and intra-organizational failures, but said he believes the public is not fully aware of the activity of the Home Front Command during the war. "The state's leadership," he said, is also unaware "of the organizational and legal structure of the players in the home front." Advertisement Gershon said that, following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, multiple agencies in many countries, including Israel, undertook thorough preparations. "These were excellent steps that went nowhere and to my understanding will go nowhere due to budgetary, political, and other reasons," he said. The major-general added that Israel's regular rescue services are anachronistic and unable to handle extreme scenarios, citing the fire services as a prime example. Gershon said he had warned the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee of the problem prior to the war, and even brought the issue to the attention of then prime minister Ariel Sharon's military secretary. According to the testimony, following the outbreak of the war, the Home Front Command was forced into situations for which it had not prepared at all, due to the fact that they aren't part of the command's role. For instance, the command assisted in distributing food to bomb shelters, evacuating the elderly, and providing medical assistance to those in need. Gershon said that in several cases, local authorities were abandoned by their employees ? who sometimes even took the authorities' vehicles with them. In addition, the command was forced to assist local municipalities that were unable to cope with the situation, such as Tiberias and Nahariya. Bookmark to del.icio.us Steering her destiny Haaretz.com TV feature: Nabila is Israel's first female Muslim bus driver. Support the troops Former chief rabbi of U.S. Navy urges American Jews to help Jewish troops.   1.   Pre-War Preparations a la IDF Home Front style , 01:12  |  Joseph E . post 1 02/11/07   2.   Pre-War Preparations a la IDF Home Front style , 01:16  |  Joseph E . post 2 02/11/07   3.   He flatters himself 02:12  |  * BEN JABO 02/11/07

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