4.7 Million Israelis to Receive Gas Masks

The army announced today that it will begin distributing gas masks to Israel’s 4.7 million citizens next week following reports of an increased threat of war in the Persian Gulf.

The announcement follows repeated threats by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to attack Israel, including one in which he said he would burn half the Jewish state with binary chemical weapons.

The announcement’s wording sought to allay any public fear.

“The distribution of gas masks in no way whatsoever constitutes a change in the emergency status,” it said.

The distribution of the masks follows months of heated debate in which the public--and some officials--have said it was foolish to delay giving out the protective equipment.

Until today, officials had maintained that an immediate distribution of gas masks could panic the Israeli public or send Iraq an incorrect message that Israel was planning an attack.

Army spokesman Brig. Gen. Nachman Shai said distribution of the sealed gas mask kits “will take several weeks. . . . We will start in the city sector . . . and gradually get to rural areas.”

“Defense authorities have sufficient kits for all citizens of Israel,” the army announcement said.

It added that the government also has begun purchasing gas masks for the 1.7 million Palestinians of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Shai, in answering questions on the distribution on Israel television, maintained that the plan for supplying gas masks was developed long before the gulf crisis.

While the government has been debating, civil defense officials have several times spoken on the radio on “home remedies” against gas attacks.

The home remedies include sealing windows with tape and soaking towels in baking soda and water for a homemade gas mask.