Mayor Shlomo Lehat warned the City Council at a special meeting last night that there were at least four ways that terrorists could create havoc and bloodshed in Tel Aviv and recommended measures to protect the citizens of Israel’s largest city.
The Mayor, a retired army general, said he was not trying to create panic but to alert the public and seek ways to prevent terrorist outrages. He said that terrorist infiltrators might set booby traps in the city; they could open fire on crowds at public gatherings; seize public offices and take hostages; or mine the beaches. He said recent security measures included the construction of shelters and the recruitment of a volunteer civil guard. So far, only 453 persons have volunteered, he reported.
A similar situation prevails in Jerusalem where the volunteer civil guard numbers only 200. While police there are tying to convince more people to sign up, Mayor Teddy Kollek has asked Police Minister Shlomo Hillel to limit the number of weapons permits his ministry issues because “an increase in the number of weapons in public hands will cause a general state of insecurity.”
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