The criticism of the rehabilitation plan for the North: it is not backed by resources and requires more business support

250 of the residents of the north spent the days of the fireplaceWe discuss their reference to the plan for the rehabilitation of the North, which these days is under discussion in the Prime Minister’s Office and the Treasury. “Many programs lack a budgetary source, others rely on programs that have already been approved,” the reference reads.

In the document, which spans over 20 pages, The residents, most of them prominent activists in the forums of the residents of the north that were created in the last months during the war, Among them ‘Forum 1701’ and ‘Metzpinim’, they criticized the main points of the plan, which they claim is mostly declarative, not backed by clear resources and partly relies on previous decisions that have already been approved in relation to the north, such as for example the strengthening of protection in the border settlements at a cost of 1.4 billion shekels, money that has already been promised to the residents As part of the “Defender of the North” program and was supposed to be transferred to the settlements in any case.

At the center of the residents’ criticism is the demand for the establishment of a front emergency room in Kiryat Shmona and the expansion of Ziv Hospital in Safed. Faced with the damages in the localities of the area, which are estimated at more than 1.5 billion shekels, the residents demand broad support More for businesses in the form of VAT discounts, discounted real estate taxes, discounts for investors and dedicated support in the hospitality industry, who was very badly injured during the war And almost does not receive an answer in the program.

One of the most prominent aspects of the government plan, the current cost of which is approximately NIS 3.5 billion, with the possibility of adding another 3 billion later, is the lack of timetables for carrying out the plans, or estimated dates for the return.

The plan is still under discussion, and is not expected to be approved before the month of June, and according to information received in one of the councils and reached by ‘Davar’, the heads of the councils were informed that the transfer of funds and rehabilitation would not begin until at least six months from now, and this also depends on the progress of the fighting in the area.

Also on the comments page, the residents of the north are angry about the little information that the state has provided to the residents since the beginning of the war, that until now has avoided committing to return dates, which makes it difficult to refine the requirements that the residents have regarding the performance of the rehabilitation in the immediate time frame.

Cancel a decision to establish three new settlements

with the publication Regarding the budgeting and the beginning of the construction of the temporary schools in at least two evacuation centers, the heads of the councils in the north announced that the school year will probably not open at the beginning of this September. “Most of the program is budgeted from 2025, and there is a fear that the evacuation will continue until February,” reads one of the comments in the field of education system budgeting. The current fear among the residents is that the education system will have difficulty recovering at the end of the war.

To this end, the residents demand that in the long term the state recognize work in kindergartens, schools and informal education throughout the north as a preferred work, Including grants for excellent teaching staff who will move their place of residence to the Galilee in subjects that are lacking (similar to the policy of the Ministry of Education in the city of Eilat).

In the area of ​​construction, the residents mention that at the beginning of March, the Israel Lands Administration announced that it would advance the construction of 3,000 new apartments in three new settlements in the Western and Upper Galilee. When the decision was published, it was criticized by the heads of councils in the north. Comments to the decision document demand that the decision be canceled immediately and that the funds be prioritized for the damaged settlements.

According to the information provided by the Ministry of Finance, as of today, the rehabilitation plan has been allocated in the budget basis approx– 2 billion shekels to strengthen security and protection, Half a billion shekels for the educational frameworks and services for evacuees in the intermediate centers, including the temporary schools, and another billion shekels for various needs that currently do not have details.

The Director General of the Prime Minister’s Office, Yossi Sheli, assured the heads of councils that an expanded plan would be submitted, with an addition of NIS 3 billion to promote development plans, butThere is no budgetary source yet, And if you make a proposal, its implementation will be subject to future government decisions.