A national home front exercise will be held this week. This is a routine exercise that has been scheduled for some time.

1. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu commented on the national home front exercise taking place this week:

“A national home front exercise will be held this week. This is the fourth year in which we are holding the exercise. It will include warning sirens throughout the country, in workplaces, homes, schools and kindergartens, hospitals, local councils, government offices, etc.

This is a routine exercise that has been scheduled for some time. I would like to make it clear that it is not the result of any exceptional security development. On the contrary, Israel aspires towards calm, stability and peace. However, it is no secret that we live in a region that is under the threat of missiles and rockets. The State of Israel’s best defense against this threat is – first of all – in maintaining deterrence and the IDF’s decisive capability, and these we do without respite. This involves, I am compelled to say, considerable resources from the state budget.

But it is also important to bolster citizens’ awareness vis-à-vis the protection issue – and this is exactly what this exercise will do, starting today and running throughout the week.”

Prime Minister Netanyahu also said that ministers would be briefed on a decision to connect 150 IDF bases to an advanced sewage and waste disposal network, at a cost of almost NIS 500 million, in order to protect the environment.

2. The Cabinet decided to extend the term of Civil Service Commissioner Shmuel Hollander until 30 October 2010.

3. Prime Minister Netanyahu called on outstanding candidates, from both the public and private sectors, to submit their candidacies for the post of Civil Service Commissioner.

4. The Cabinet decided to change the manner in which road safety is taught in the schools.

5. The Cabinet decided to instruct a team chaired by Justice Minister Yaakov Ne’eman – and with the participation of Finance Minister Steinitz, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Negev and Galilee Development Minister Silvan Shalom, Education Minister Gideon Saar, Deputy Minister Gila Gamliel and Prime Minister’s Office Director-General Eli Gabbai – to formulate a Government decision to implement the benefits in financing academic studies for discharged soldiers and national and civilian service volunteers.

6. The Cabinet received a short briefing from the Doing Business Committee, chaired by Finance Ministry Director-General Chaim Shani.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem / GPO)