Fast Draw: Closing the Homeland Defense Ministry

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Too little, too late. Finally the minister holding the empty title of “homeland defense” realized that it’s a bad joke, a dangerous state of affairs that can easily result in casualties.

Homeland Defense Minister Gilad Erdan called on the prime minister to shut down the ministry he leads, and asked him to step down by May 31. Ardan met Prime Minister Netanyahu before Passover to discuss the issue.

In his letter to the Prime Minister Erdan claimed that the Homeland Defense Ministry did all it could, and its units should be transferred to the Ministry of Defense. Erdan based his recommendation on recent budget cuts undermining his ability to act and the disagreement between his office and the Defense Ministry concerning authority over the home front.

iHLS – Israel Homeland Security

Erdan stressed that “the civilian home front needs a single decision maker to be in charge, with the required level of authority. Splitting the authority over the home front between the offices prevents me from preparing the home front to emergencies in the most professional manner. The state of the home front means more to me than continuing this pointless conflict.”

A step in the right direction, but it doesn’t solve the whole problem. Now we need a quick, clear decision by Prime Minister Netanyahu, not a thing he’s famous for. He immediately needs to decide who’s in charge of the home front and give him or her all the necessary tools. This is a first step towards ending this farce, now action is required – and that’s usually what’s missing in Israel.