MK Rabbi Asher to Northern Regional Council Heads: We Support You

By Aryeh Stern

​The Internal Affairs and Environment Committee held a special meeting on Tuesday with the Confrontation Line Forum, a gathering of northern regional council heads, at the Druze town of Hurfeish in the Upper Galil. The meeting was also attended by Interior Ministry Director-General Ronen Peretz and Federation of Local Authorities in Israel Chairman Chaim Bibas. Finance Ministry Director-General Shlomi Heizler took part in the meeting via video conference.

At the start of the meeting, Confrontation Line Forum chair Moshe Davidovich said, “As the confrontation line, we expect the Government to do more and talk less. I am glad that you came here, because it is better to see things with your own eyes rather than just hear about them.”

Committee chair MK Rabbi Yaakov Asher (United Torah Judaism) said, “We have experienced a very difficult trauma in the south, but the situation there is already improving, and there is a horizon that depends on how we will finish the job. The situation in the north is completely different because currently there is no progress, and this uncertainty harms the civilians.

“I do not want to get into an argument about the distance [of northern communities] from the border and to what extent the state should compensate. I want to embolden the residents and prepare for uncertainty in any possible scenario, and a designated compensation plan is required. The committee will not yield on this issue. We will monitor the situation and hold meetings until we will reach a solution. We support you, and we will not give up, especially when we know that the Government is convening for a debate on the budget,” he said.

Rabbi Asher noted that while the municipal elections were scheduled for Feb. 27, the interior minister will exercise his authority to exclude a number of localities, depending on the situation.

Finance Ministry Director-General Heizler said, “We understand that an immediate measure is needed. We are aware of the problem related to evacuations and timetables. Interior Ministry Director-General Ronen Peretz is leading the issue of assistance to the local authorities, and I welcome his leadership. We are taking part in this, and we are advancing aid within the 2024 budget. I hope we will bring great tidings on this matter. We are trying to find solutions for communities that have evacuated independently, and we believe we will succeed in this. There have been significant talks with the Budget Department in the Finance Ministry, and I cannot get into the details, but we are talking about a large-scale plan.”