Israel: Gas Mask Distribution Could Be Delayed

Hanan Greenberg
Published: 09.09.08, 19:36 / Israel News

The distribution of gas masks to Israeli civilians, scheduled for January 2009, is expected to be delayed.

According to Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai, an internal dispute between the budget departments of both the Defense Ministry and the Treasury could cause a delay.

The masks, which are currently being restored, were returned by the general population a few weeks ago, and were scheduled to be redistributed in April. It seems now that that decision, which was decided upon by the security cabinet, may not be carried out.

"We need to straighten this matter out once and for all", Vilnai told Ynet. "We need to make sure that every citizen has a functioning gas mask kit in their home, so that the decision makers won't have to deal with this problem should an emergency arise, thus giving them time to deal with other matters".

The estimated budget for re-distribution stands at NIS 220 million ($61 million), per year for the next five years. The budget department in the Ministry of Defense had allocated NIS 150 million ($41 million) with the additional NIS 70 million ($20 million) requirement shared between the Treasury and Defense Ministry. Not only did both ministries not reach a deal, but with a budget cut, the price went up, leading to the debate as to who will pay.

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Ynetnews: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3594407,00.html