Court: State must brief court on plans to reinforce Sderot homes

The High Court yesterday gave the state until January 15, 2008, to brief the court on cabinet measures to reinforce 800 private homes in Sderot to withstand Qassam rockets. The directive was issued by justices Ayala Procaccia, Salim Joubran and Yosef Alon in connection with the court's deliberation on a petition by 30 Sderot residents against the cabinet.

The representative of the State Prosecutor's Office noted the cabinet has appointed a professional team to examine the overall issue of protecting residents of Sderot, including the topic of reinforcing private homes. The team is scheduled to complete its work by the end of December. Its recommendations are to serve as the basis of a cabinet session on civil defense in Sderot.

During yesterday's session the justice criticized the government for not acting to reinforce homes in Sderot up to now. "The cabinet's priorities with regard to finding a solution for reinforcement is very disturbing," Procaccia said. Alon said, "Adults and children go to sleep at night in homes with tiled roofs, why do years have to go by until an elementary solution of shelters is found for them?"

In an announcement from the State Prosecutor's Office to the High Court earlier this week, attorney Dina Zilber wrote that the court must avoid intervening in government policy on the issue of reinforcing homes in Sderot, since these are "clearly policy issues that are usually beyond the bounds of judicial intervention."

The Sderot municipality issued a statement last night on the issue, saying, "Even though the matter at hand is an intermediate ruling of the High Court, it involves matters that are very important to the residents of Sderot. The High Court instructed the cabinet to finish its [examination] by the end of the month and to submit an updated position paper. We view that as a great achievement in light of the state's claim of the court's inability to intervene in such matters."