It is unacceptable that citizens in the North are supposed to return home in early March but don’t know if they will have security, Mateh Asher Regional Council head Moshe Davidovich said at The Jerusalem Post’s Israel’s North: Looking Forward conference that was broadcast Thursday.
More than 14 months into the Israel-Hamas War, “and we still don’t have a plan for the North,” he said during The Jerusalem Post’s Israel’s North: Looking Forward broadcast, adding that there also were no budgets or sector-specific plans in place.
The government has not given enough support to residents of the North, said Davidovich, who also chairs the Conflict Line Forum, a group of municipal leaders from the northern front.
If the government fails to provide a proper plan within the next few weeks, citizens of the North will likely not return to their homes, he said, even though they “are praying to get back to their homes. They want to go back home.”
The Conflict Line Forum’s decision last May to declare independence from the State of Israel and found “the State of Galilee “was not a threat but rather reflected the abandonment felt by northern leaders,” Davidovitch said.
The residents first and foremost need security to rebuild the North, he said. Beyond that, they need support for mental health, especially for the children traumatized by the war, he added.
After these two most urgent needs are met, northern residents will need help rebuilding and rehabilitating businesses, agriculture, and tourism, Davidovitch said.
“We just need a little help, and we will push for the whole Galilee to be the most beautiful place and the most attractive place in all of Israel,” he said.
Difficulties faced by residents of the North
Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav also spoke about the difficulties faced by residents of the North at the conference.The war has brought economic disaster to the North, he said, echoing Davidovitch in his criticism of the government’s lack of support for the North.
“The government doesn’t know that they have a North, [and] “they are not helping us,” Yahav said.
“How come the government doesn’t consider the North and the South?” he asked, adding that it cares about “only the center. We are totally alone.”
Asked about leading a mixed city in which Christian, Muslim, and Jewish Israelis live together, Yahav said honoring others does not cost money.
“How come the government doesn’t consider the North and the South?” he asked, adding that it cares about “only the center. We are totally alone.”
Asked about leading a mixed city in which Christian, Muslim, and Jewish Israelis live together, Yahav said honoring others does not cost money.
“You don’t pay tax on honor,” he said. “Give it unlimitedly and especially to minorities.”
Residents of the North will need help with rehabilitation, Yahav said, urging everyone to come visit Haifa.
“You won’t regret it, because this is the most beautiful city in Israel,” he said. “I always say that Jerusalem is the most beautiful city in the world, but in Israel, it is Haifa.”