53% of the residents of the north are evacuated: the grim figures were revealed in the Knesset

The Special Committee for the Strengthening and Development of the Negev and the Galilee, chaired by MK Michael Biton , gathered this morning (Monday) to hear the government's decision regarding the rehabilitation of the north that was presented to the members of the Knesset. According to the picture of the situation in the northern settlements that was presented during the committee – 53 percent of the residents of the north are evacuated – a total of approx. 58,353 residents from 11 different municipalities, 21,000 of the evacuees are in hotels, and the other 39,000 evacuees are scattered throughout the country.

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The goals of the "North" program for the rehabilitation of the North are a complete and optimal return to normality – while taking advantage of the crisis as an opportunity to improve the quality of life of the residents of the North, rebuilding and developing affected areas, restoring economic activity, the standard of living of the residents of the North – and restoring and improving infrastructure and services. According to the plan, there is government preparedness for 2 scenarios: for the full opening of the coming school year in all the settlements of the north – or alternatively in other regional assessments.

The budget stated in the "North" plan for the immediate and near term is 3.5 billion – including protection and security components. In addition, as part of the multi-year development plan – there is a budget of about NIS 3 billion. The program was implemented by a team of CEOs under the authority of the CEO of the Prime Minister's Office, Yossi Shelli. The proposal was supposed to pass this Wednesday – but at the request of the heads of the authorities in the north, it will be delayed in order to improve it.

The Mayor of Kiryat Shmona, Avihai Stern , commented on the plan that was presented to him and said: "We were presented with a first draft on Wednesday at a meeting with the Minister of Finance and the Minister of the Interior, and I must say that the decision was very lacking. The next day, after our comments, we were presented with another draft that doubled in size and increased From three billion to 6.5 billion NIS – but the sources for the additional three billion are still missing." He also said that the criteria for distribution are missing from the proposal – therefore the heads of the authorities cannot know how the budgets will be divided between the authorities.

In addition, Stern also referred to the shielding plan included in the decision-makers' proposal – saying that it turns out to be irrelevant because the shielding issue requires reconsideration. "We saw how Hezbollah 's missiles entered from one side of the new missiles and exited from the other side, which means that the protection is insufficient. This issue should be taken into account – because the cost of the dimensions will increase according to the standard that will be added."

Stern added that the second tranche of the grant has not yet been transferred to the families and that there are many evacuees who have no way to celebrate the holiday – "This is very important, it is a drop in the ocean, but it will allow the families to celebrate the holiday with dignity. This is a burning issue and needs to be addressed separately even before the general decision is made." , Stern said.

MK Biton, chairman of the committee, said that three billion NIS that are currently missing should be allocated to the benefit of the north: "We want an orderly plan without black holes and without questions." He concluded the discussion – and referred to the settlements in the north that were not evacuated and their residents Haim under fire from Hezbollah: "There are a number of settlements in the north that have fallen through the cracks, they have not been evacuated – but they are part of settled councils without a community center and without a central city. We need to find a solution for them in the form of a flexible grant for the authorities – so that they can solve the problems in the kibbutzim and moshavs that were not evacuated." .

Chairman Bitton called on the Ministry of Economy to accompany the businesses in the north , some of whom have already moved their activities to the south and it is doubtful that they will return at the end of the war. "You will return residents in September to an empty place that businesses have left – we warned here in the committee two months ago that there is a creeping departure of businesses from the border line. Map the businesses and take care of the grants for them," according to him.

He also called for grants to be given to preserve agriculture on the northern border and also called for speeding up the transfer of grants to families so that they can use the money to prepare for the holiday. In the tourism sector, MK Biton called for compensation and full coverage for the loss of revenue in order to maintain the infrastructure as a future arm of growth.