Thanks to ACRI, Shelters in Nazereth's Schools will Remain Open
- ACRI
- Jun 18
- 1 min read
On June 17, 2025, we sent an urgent appeal to the Mayor of Nazareth, the Home Front Command commander, and officials in the army and government, following an announcement by the Municipality of Nazareth that bomb shelters located in the city’s schools would be closed to the public. According to the announcement, the shelters would be closed to residents due to shortened warning times, and residents should instead stay in the protected spaces in their homes.
In our appeal, we argued that closing the shelters is illegal, and disregards the lives and security of the city's residents. Attorney Oded Feller, ACRI's Legal Advisor, noted in the appeal that despite Nazareth's size (about 80,000 residents), the city is almost entirely unprotected. It has a severe shortage of protected rooms (mamadim), and no public shelters: "Not only has the Municipality of Nazareth failed for years to install even one public shelter within its boundaries, it is now closing the shelters in schools, which constitute the only public protection infrastructure in the city."
We demanded that the mayor immediately open all school shelters, ensure their readiness for emergency scenarios, publish public notices about the locations of the shelters, and post signs directing people to them. We also demanded that parking lots and underground buildings be prepared to serve as additional protective spaces in the city.
The morning after our appeal, the Municipality of Nazareth published an announcement stating that it had decided to reopen all school shelters to the public.
ACRI's appeal, June 17, 2025 (Heb)
