Comptroller Englman: "When conducting the tours, I attach great importance to the immediate rectification of the disparities. Another aspect we are facing is the audit we shall conduct after the end of the war, and it is supremely important to see things firsthand".
State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman conducted a tour of the confrontation line localities in the north and Ma’alot-Tarshiha. This was part of a series of tours he started last week of the confrontation line localities in the north and south. Last week the State Comptroller toured Sderot, the Soroka and Barzilai hospitals, Netivot and the Merhavim Regional Council. This week he met the residents of Zikim and Netiv HaAsara who have been evacuated from their homes and are staying in the Ma'ale Hachamisha hotel and today he is expected to arrive at the Eshkol Regional Council and the Council's localities which were destroyed on the Black Sabbath of October 7th.
The visit to the north focused on the Mateh Asher and Ma'ale Yosef Regional Councils, where the localities under their jurisdiction are located next to the border with Hezbollah, and also the city of Ma’alot-Tarshiha.
The visit highlighted significant disparities in the variety of requirements needed to protect the civilian population. Thus, for example, the issue of the disparities in protection in the old houses and the pressing need for "miguniot" (prefabricated protective shelters) and making bomb shelters, whose state of maintenance was extremely poor, fit for use, was raised to its fullest extent. Disparities were also evident in the volunteer civilian security squads and in particular in arranging to have them immediately drafted to the reserve service by a Tzav 8, as part of their service as members of a volunteer civilian security squad, alongside disparities in equipment and other resources.
The Office of the State Comptroller requested that the Security Forces and the relevant government parties deal with these disparities immediately.
The authorities' heads also complained about the breakdown in communications between the government ministries and the local authorities.
The State Comptroller told the authorities' heads that his office would act immediately and order the government bodies to deal with the various defects and disparities that they raised. Likewise, all the matters which arose during the tours would be thoroughly examined and serve as a basis for an audit report to be prepared at the end of the war.
According to the Comptroller, "We are in a shelter in Ma’alot-Tarshiha that is supposed to serve the population in an emergency. The disparities that have been exposed before our eyes are very significant, in terms of the ability to remain in the shelter during an emergency: there is no lighting, the toilets are in a problematic state and there is flooding. These conditions do not allow for the protection required at this time for the residents of the confrontation line and the northern border. The buildings we visited are populated by senior citizens of a low socioeconomic status. Government intervention is required to make the protected spaces and the bomb shelters on the confrontation line in the north and south fit for use.
During the tours I conduct I see with my own eyes the need to rectify the defects immediately. I attach great importance to this. Another aspect we are facing is the audit we shall conduct after the end of the war, and it is supremely important to see things firsthand.
Likewise – the Ombudsman at the Office of the State Comptroller has opened a hotline which is open 24 hours a day. Any person who has a complaint against any government body whatsoever – the National Insurance Institute, the Tax Authority, etc. – is invited to contact us. We are at your service".
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