State Comptroller Criticizes Government's Failure to Manage Home Front During War
A report by State Comptroller Matanyahu Engelman released on September 3, 2025, reveals significant failures in the Israeli government's management of the home front during the ongoing war. The core finding is that the government operated without a designated authority responsible for civilian affairs throughout the conflict, leading to a lack of overall situational awareness and coordination. The report traces this systemic failure back over 17 years, to a 2007 decision that assigned responsibility for the home front to the defense minister without granting the necessary authority over civilian efforts or other ministries.
Despite government decisions made in the first two weeks of the war to empower the Economic-Social Cabinet to manage civilian aspects of the home front, these resolutions were not effectively implemented and 'dissipated,' according to the report. The Comptroller attributed this to a "failed attempt to establish a functional structure without adequate prior preparation." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is criticized for not addressing the issue when the deficiency became apparent during the war and for failing to report it back to the government for a corrective decision.
The Economic-Social Cabinet, headed by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, convened only five times in the first year of the war and did not discuss the civilian emergency management center. The report states the cabinet "effectively refrained from fulfilling the role assigned to it by the government." Smotrich is specifically criticized for not exercising his authority and failing to establish a civilian command center. Former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is also held responsible for not clarifying the status of the National Emergency Authority and the Home Front Command, with the Comptroller extending blame to his predecessors since 2007.
Furthermore, the forum of ministry director-generals held 27 discussions in the first three months of the war without reaching any decisions. The report highlights that this lack of a central authority resulted in tangible consequences for citizens, including damage to essential industries, a shortage of psychologists, and inadequate support for evacuees. The Comptroller concluded that "hundreds of thousands of residents experienced firsthand the failures of the Israeli government in managing the civilian sector during the war" and urged immediate action, a call that has gone unheeded over a year later as the government heads into elections.
