State Comtptroller to Come Down Heavy on Steinitz, Yishai Over Carmel Fire

Israeli State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss will recommend the dismissal or transferal of of Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz and Interior Minister Eli Yishai for their role in the Carmel fire that killed 42 people in December 2010, according to Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot.

His complete report will be published next week, but certain sections have been leaked.

Lindenstrauss wrote that Yishai, as minister responsible for Fire and Rescue Services, was negligent in fulfilling his duty to prepare for such a disaster. He also wrote that Steinitz is to blame for neglecting to provide the budgets required for the Fire and Rescue Services' proper functioning.

The fire destroyed dozens of homes and over 12,000 acres of forest, in addition to the lives lost.