Peace is coming at the end of 2018
Peace is coming at the end of 2018

Israel's Tax Authority has announced that it will compensate business owners and employees residing within 25 miles of the Gaza Border

For the umpteenth time, residents of the Gaza envelope sat around the conference table in the Knesset's Finance Committee room and were witness to the manner in which motions are passed (or not) in Israel. The hearing addressed the question of how and in what amount the State of Israel will compensate business owners and employees residing in this area.

Since April 2018 the residents of the Gaza Envelope have been under constant attack from burning kites and incendiary balloons, and their already shaky daily routine became almost intolerable.
The question whether to compensate did not arise, it was abundantly clear that they required monetary compensation for loss of income, and that the State of Israel was responsible to ensure they received it. However, those familiar with this issue, including Committee Chairman MK Moshe Gafni, are aware that this was not the first hearing to address this matter, and will certainly not be the last. The hearing resulted in a lot of frustration, shouting and pleading, and maybe another drop in the bucket of what is known as state funds.

Since April 2018 the residents of the Gaza Envelope have been under constant attack from burning kites and incendiary balloons, and their already shaky daily routine became almost intolerable.  In recent weeks residents were forced to deal with this unwanted break in routine:

Those in close proximity to a protected area were required to remain there, children did not attend school, parents stayed home, large events were cancelled – all this accompanied by an anxiety-ridden mental state, uncontrollable crying, inability to perform simple tasks, sleepless nights, and more. But residents of the Gaza envelope overcame all these difficulties, and heroically carried on in the new-old routine to which they had become accustomed.  

The State of Israel must salute their steadfastness, the moral support these residents have given Israel's security forces, and the uncompromising message they convey in their resilience in the face of terror. Instead, we witnessed one long overdue step being taken in the Knesset to assist them:

The Israel Tax Authority announced that it will compensate employees and business owners residing within 25 miles (40 km) of the Gaza border.  

After months of waiting and hearings on how and in what amount to compensate, this can certainly be considered progress. However, the proposed plan is flawed and full of holes:

  • The communities entitled to compensation are only those included in a limited list of towns, and not every town under attack since April 2018 will be entitled to compensation.
  • Another problem concerns tourism, as compensation will only be awarded to those who had orders canceled, but there is no reference to the fact that there are no orders due to the security situation.
  • Furthermore, hotels located in towns outside the 40 km radius including in Ashkelon and Be'er Sheva who were financially affected by the situation will not be entitled to compensation according to the new regulations.  

And the most problematic issue is the time limitation: These regulations were issued by temporary order and will only be in effect until December 31, 2018. This must mean that according to the Tax Authority's view of the situation, at that date peace will come, and we will fly balloons and kites with no explosives attached to them together with the former terrorists on the other side of the border.

Inshallah.

This article originally appeared in Hebrew in the Makor Rishon newspaper.