As rocket attacks on southern Israel continued on Tuesday, the government asked the High Court for another six months to fortify Sderot schools. The request came in response to a motion which called upon the court to force the state to fortify schools immediately.
In May of 2007 the High Court accepted a petition from Sderot parents and ruled that the state must fortify Sderot schools by the beginning of the school year. The buildings must be completely fortified, the court ruled. State officials had planned to partially fortify the schools, making only some of the classrooms strong enough to withstand a rocket strike.
"This is a daily threat, real and concrete, that thousands of students are exposed to... there's a legitimate obligation to protect them,” Justice Dorit Beinisch wrote at the time.
The lawsuit currently before the court involves six schools that are not yet fully fortified.
Government attorneys told the court that the school fortification project is now the responsibility of the Sderot municipality. Sderot has a new mayor, David Bouskila, who must learn to oversee the project, making a delay inevitable, they argued. Bouskila “is well aware of the importance and urgency of the matter,” they added.
While fortification efforts continue, students will be able to learn in individual classrooms that have been fortified, attorneys argued. In addition, the Homefront Command has approved the use of non-fortified classrooms in close proximity to fortified rooms.