Tenders for the construction of schools in Sderot with the necessary fortified areas capable of protecting against rocket attacks are still pending, as a result of a dispute between Sderot municipality and the Interior Ministry.
The cabinet decided to construct schools in Sderot capable of withstanding rocket blasts 10 months ago, but not only have the projects not started, still no party has secured the tender.
Originally, the matter was handled by the relevant department at the Sderot municipality, however the winner of the original tender led to an investigation against the city’s mayor, Eli Moyal, for possible conflict of interest.
The tender issuing process and the decision were revoked by the Interior Minister, and in a letter by ministry director Aryeh Bar-Shelach to Moyal, the entire process used by the municipality was declared improper. Bar-Shelach then passed on responsibility for the construction of the new schools to the Ministry of Housing.
However, Haaretz has learned that a decision has been made that the Housing Ministry would not assume responsibility for the construction, and the matter was returned to the relevant department at the Sderot municipality.
Now the municipality is being asked to issue a new tender for the project, more than a year after the Supreme Court ruled that the current protection afforded in Sderot schools is insufficient to meet the threats posed by rockets from the Gaza Strip.
