The Knesset’s Interior and Environmental Protection Committee held an urgent session on Tuesday to assess Israel’s preparedness for a major earthquake - and the findings painted a troubling picture.
Chaired by MK Yitzhak Kroizer (Otzma Yehudit), the committee heard that Israel lacks a unified authority responsible for managing large-scale disaster scenarios. Officials described deep systemic failures, severe coordination gaps and an absence of a single body with the authority to oversee nationwide emergency preparedness.
According to the discussion, the fragmented structure leaves government ministries, regional councils and professional agencies operating without clear hierarchy or coordination. “In a situation where there is no one in charge, it is impossible to manage an event on the scale of an earthquake,” MK Kroizer warned, urging the creation of a dedicated governmental authority with defined powers, budget and responsibility to lead all preparedness efforts.
The committee also reviewed Israel’s national seismic reinforcement programs, including Tama 38 and Amendment 139, and found that they fail to serve peripheral regions. Because the incentives rely on developer profits, most strengthening projects are concentrated in central Israel, while cities situated along the Syrian-African Rift - such as Tiberias, Beit She’an and Kiryat Shmona - remain largely unprotected.
In addition, officials reported that only about four percent of the funds allocated to reinforce essential public buildings have been used. The committee also heard alarming testimony about hazardous-materials readiness: the Environmental Protection Ministry said Israel has 1,267 hazardous-materials facilities that could become severe risk centers during a major earthquake, yet only one staff member is responsible for the issue nationwide. At the current pace, officials warned, it would take roughly 60 years to secure all the facilities.