The Knesset plenum debated an urgent motion for the agenda that was filed following media reports that thousands of mines in the fields of the Golan Heights endanger human life. Israeli news media looked into the problem after a family of five vacationers was injured Saturday when they stepped into an unmarked minefield in the Golan and set off an explosion.
United Torah Judaism faction whip MK Rabbi Menachem Eliezer Moses said at the debate that “the lack of proper signage and fences and the injury of innocent hikers is the result of careless behavior by those who are responsible for dealing with hazards. This was the case in this incident, and also in other cases country-wide involving hazards and nuisances.”
A culture of carelessness
MK Moses said that the way the IDF dealt with the problem of minefields was part of a culture of carelessness. “The army is just a reflection of what goes on throughout Israel,” he said. “Nationwide, there are dozens of faulty roads with defective infrastructure that take a toll in human lives, but their upgrading is delayed for budgetary and bureaucratic reasons.”
“In many areas, radiation levels far above the permitted standards are measured, but almost nothing is done. This week, it was reported that a test carried out in central Bnei Brak found electromagnetic radiation levels 450 times the permitted standard. As a result of the high radiation, a 14 year old girl who lived near the source of the radiation died this week and many other residents fear for their lives.”
The cheapness of human life may be the result of “improper education, or exposure to unmonitored content and a 'trust me, everything will be fine' mentality,” MK Moses said. “One thing is clear – the phenomenon has to cease.”