CBNNNews.com - JERUSALEM, Israel - Israel's Channel 2 television announced the Defense Department's decision to stop collecting nearly seven million gas masks that need refurbishing.

While 4.5 million gas masks have already been collected, according to Channel 2's report, the Defense Ministry budget falls short of the $11 million needed to collect the masks, which doesn't include the funding needed to refurbish them.

The decision leaves the bulk of Israeli citizens vulnerable to chemical and biological warfare, though even properly equipped gas masks provide limited protection against weapons of mass destruction.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's personal sealed room in his Jerusalem residence should be nearing completion, and construction continues on the underground nuclear bunker for Knesset members and other government employees and their families outside Jerusalem.

Source: israel insider