A public Transportation Ministry-appointed commission has found grave faults with the way Israel's ports operated during the war - largely because a state of emergency was not declared.



"The fact that a state of emergency was not declared had significant legal and operative ramifications," the commission found, "leading to mal-functional port operations." The full report was submitted on Wednesday to the Director-General of the Transportation Ministry, Gideon Sitterman.



During last summer's Second Lebanon War, the government declared a "special home-front situation" - but stopped short of calling it an emergency. The half-baked declaration meant that not all governmental authorities necessary for the provision of vital transportation services could be activated. This chiefly affected the sea ports, via which 99% of all of Israel's exports and imports arrive and leave.



However, war-time transportation problems did not end with the lack of an appropriate government declaration. The report found grave problems in the operation of the ports, Israel Railways and other public transportation frameworks. Organized emergency regulations do not exist, the commission found, nor is there a centralized authority overseeing public transportation.



Problems that were not dealt with satisfactorily, according to the report, include those caused by the fact that foreign ships did not want to dock in Israel during war time; steep increases in insurance costs; fuel and coal deliveries; major cutbacks in train service and deliveries to and from Haifa; lack of bus service in some localities; and more.



The commission recommends the establishment of a Ports and Transportation Emergency Authority. Among other things, it would allow the Transportation Minister to declare public transportation and the ports as vital installations even when war is not officially declared.



The Ports and Shipping Authority has been on strike twice this year.