The government on Sunday approved a multi-year plan to rehabilitate northern communities along the Lebanon border, including Kiryat Shmona, Shlomi, and Metula, which were heavily impacted by the war.
The decision was made in the weekly government meeting, which was convened in Kiryat Shmona. It was led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who vowed billions of shekels would be invested in the area.
The government said the plan is intended to ensure immediate assistance to local authorities, residents, and businesses in the urban area.
“The amount we are dealing with here now is NIS 400 million, and soon, as will be detailed in this meeting, billions of shekels will follow. We have an enormous commitment to the North,” Netanyahu said in his opening remarks at the government meeting.
“We are bringing an immediate plan for the rehabilitation, development, and growth of Kiryat Shmona, Shlomi, and Metula,” he added.
“This will be expressed through the distribution of grants to businesses and residents, and the allocation of greater resources for housing, industry, healthcare, transportation, and academia, and this is only the first stage.”
October 7 impact on Northern Israel communities
Communities along Israel’s northern border were severely affected in the aftermath of the October 7 Hamas massacre and throughout the ensuing war.
Hundreds of thousands of residents were forced to evacuate their homes during Israel’s conflict with Hezbollah as the area came under continuous rocket fire. The area has still not recovered from the damage it sustained.
Protesters demonstrated near the meeting over the lack of action taken to rehabilitate the area sooner.
The government plan calls for turning Kriyat Shmona into a university city by connecting it to the Tel-Hai College.
This move would involve incorporating academic facilities into the city, aimed at creating an urban student experience, the proposal says.
Other aspects of the government’s plan include providing support for local businesses and
grants for residents. As well as directing budgets toward branding the area as an attractive place to live, and renovating buildings for leisure and community purposes.
The plan also calls for the establishment of designated tracks for wage subsidies for employees in high-tech and advanced industries. It also says it aims to create a medical emergency center and a specialist clinic in Kiryat Shmona.
A license was granted to reopen the airstrip in Kiryat Shmona, Transportation Minister Miri Regev and Netanyahu announced. This comes after more than 20 years during which the airstrip did not operate commercial flights.
The plan says it includes advancing tailored flight services for northern residents to central and southern Israel, with an annual budget of approximately NIS 10 million.
“We are going to channel air transportation here, rail transportation, and highway infrastructure. People will be able to reach Tel Aviv by train in less than an hour,” Netanyahu said.
“We are going to invest billions here in developing the North. All the communities represented here by their local leaders, we are going to carry out a massive transformation,” he added.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said, “We committed that Kiryat Shmona, Shlomi, and Metula would not be left behind, and we are delivering. Our leadership is tested by our ability to turn a challenge into a historic opportunity.”