Swimming season opens with few lifeguards on duty

Swimming season was set to open on Tuesday on Israel's beaches, but very few lifeguards were going to show up to guard the shores, since they were not notified that the season was starting. A financial dispute between the Interior Ministry and local authorities is responsible for the lack of communication with the lifeguards and their subsequent absence from the beaches. The Interior Ministry responded, saying that Acting Prime Minister and Interior Minister Ehud Olmert signed an order two weeks ago to advance the opening of the swimming season on some of Israel's beaches. The season was begun two weeks earlier than originally scheduled in order to allow the 1.7 million Israeli students on Pessah vacation to take advantage of the beaches.