For the sake of a better home front defense, Prime Minister Netanyahu intends to expand the non-military national service option to previously excluded sectors of the population. The Prime Minister's statement on the matter came during a cabinet tour of the Home Front Command headquarters in Ramle on Wednesday.
"The large exercise we are carrying out for home front defense is a routine exercise," Prime Minister Netanyahu emphasized at the start of his comments, referring to the nationwide Turning Point 3 civil defense exercise. "It is not an exercise that comes as a result of any particular development at this time, rather as a result of the understanding in Israel that the situation in the Middle East has changed in the last ten years."
Israel, Netanyahu stated, is "more advanced than most countries in the world, if not all countries in the world," in 
Those taking part in national service will be trained to instruct and direct their own communities.
its preparedness exercises. "Our exercise includes the operations of the government, of the security services, of the IDF, of the municipalities. And I emphasize the municipalities because a large part of our effort is at the grassroots level, in coaching and support activities for the municipalities so that they can truly provide solutions for the population" in the case of an actual emergency.
The Prime Minister pointed out the need to strengthen all the emergency and first response services in the country, along with the municipalities, in a spirit of cooperation. In order to identify gaps and repair them, he said, there must be an ongoing process of identifying lessons learned.
In order to assist and expand the home front defense services, Prime Minister Netanyahu said that he intends to extend the non-military national service option to include as-yet untapped sectors of the population. In this way, he explained, those taking part in national service will be trained to instruct and direct their own communities in home front security, thus taking some of the burden off of the IDF's Home Front Command.
An option to take part in national service, rather than compulsory army service, would provide a solution for those sectors that oppose on principle or that are automatically exempted from service in the IDF. Currently, national service is an option taken up by those Jewish young women who see army service as religiously inappropriate.
"We are learning a lot of things, improving many things as a result," Netanyahu said, "and we will continue to address this matter in government and cabinet discussions, in order to improve the level of protection and preparedness of the State of Israel and the citizens of Israel in the face of every possible development."
In addition to comments from Prime Minister Netanyahu, cabinet members heard from IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai and Home Front Commander Maj.-Gen. Yair Golan.
Lt.-Gen. Ashkenazi detailed the extent of the nationwide security exercise underway this week. He described the home front as a "second front" for the IDF, explaining that the military has adopted a "wide-view approach" to the civilian sector. In addition to strictly military assistance to local municipalities, the Chief of Staff said, the IDF assists in such areas as education, health, community organizing and more.
Maj.-Gen. Golan informed the cabinet about the goals of the Turning Point 3 home front exercise and its expected achievements. He praised the high level of preparedness and skill on the home front, while noting that there are still areas that need to be improved. Golan also discussed some general lessons learned during the Second Lebanon War in 2006 and during Operation Cast Lead in Gaza.
Deputy Defense Minister Vilnai touched on the level of coordination between the IDF, the civilian emergency services and the municipalities. He also updated his colleagues on the activities of the relatively new National Emergency Authority, which coordinates civilian defense.