But the atmosphere was pessimistic, with many of the participants repeating the belief that Israel is not ready to handle a large-scale crisis.
“We need to be ready to say we are not ready,” Haifa Mayor Einat Kalisch Rotem told the conference in Modiin.
“In a major earthquake, I’d guess that half the medical staff won’t show up. People will search for their loved ones. So there’s a lot more we need to work on,” said Prof. Chezy Levy, director of Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon. The southern coastal city faced hundreds of rocket attacks during fighting with Gaza-based terror groups in the Gaza Strip last May, more than any other city.
Last year’s conflict also saw fiery sectarian violence erupt in many Arab towns and so-called “mixed” cities, which have significant numbers of both Arabs and Jews. READ MORE
