(IsraelNN.com) Defense Minister Ehud Barak announced Wednesday that his ministry would request NIS 500 million to fortify buildings near Gaza against rocket attacks. On Thursday, Finance Minister Ronnie Bar-On responded with heavy criticism, saying, “Barak should stop giving advice and start taking doing his job.”

Barak's office has a budget of NIS 50 billion, Bar-On said. With that money at his disposal, “I would expect him to succeed in stopping the rocket fire on Sderot,” Bar-On added.

A ministerial forum agreed in February of 2008 to fortify approximately 8,000 buildings located within 4.5 kilometers of Gaza. In the first stage, buildings without a concrete roof are being fortified. In the second, each building is to receive a small security room in which residents can hide during a rocket attack.

The fortification project will not protect those living more than 4.5 kilometers from Gaza, including the more than 110,000 residents of Ashkelon located within the range of Gaza terrorists' rockets.

No more 'special situation' in Gaza-area towns
IDF officials announced Thursday that the “special situation” declared in Sderot and other Jewish communities near Gaza would end in the upcoming days. For the first time in 18 months, the army will not immediately extend the order defining the area as “special,” an order which grants additional powers to security forces in the area and allows them to close or open businesses for security reasons.

The announcement came just hours after residents of Sderot ran for cover as terrorists fired a rocket towards the area despite a ceasefire. The ceasefire is set to end in January, although intelligence officers believe terrorists will refrain from rocket fire until after the national elections in February.