The Finance Committee today (Wednesday) discussed an updated version of a bill seeking to establish tax benefits for towns threatened in Judea and Samaria.
The proposal includes criteria for towns located deep in the territory, which require travel by public transport and for students to be transported in vehicles protected against gunfire, according to a determination by Central Command.
During the discussion, representatives of the Justice Ministry and the Finance Ministry voiced reservations about the updated text and argued that the chosen criteria appear arbitrary.
A Justice Ministry representative noted that it is unclear why these measures were selected as the sole indicator of threats, while a Finance Ministry representative questioned whether these towns are more threatened than other frontier communities.
The committee chair, MK Hanoch Milwidsky, responded sharply to the ministries' claims and said that the requirement for bulletproofing reflects the reality. "If the requirement for bulletproofing is not sufficient, shall we count the number of shooting incidents? The number of wounded and dead? These provisions were written in blood, this is the daily reality of everyone who lives or travels in Judea and Samaria, what do you consider a threat?"
The regional defense officer in Central Command explained that the security classification is a transparent working tool used to protect residents in threatened areas.
The committee's legal adviser added that the current wording narrows the number of eligible towns to only a few dozen, for which security agencies pointed to severe security circumstances.
Omer Rahamim, CEO of the Yesha Council, welcomed the advancement of the bill and called to provide the area's residents with a response similar to that given to residents of the conflict lines in the south and north. He expressed hope that the legislation would be completed within the current Knesset term in order to strengthen those facing security challenges on the front.
Yisrael Ganz, head of the Binyamin Regional Council and chair of the Yesha Council, stressed that the demand for protection is not a political matter but a basic security need, "Our residents pay a very heavy price, and in the end all they ask for is the basic right to live in security, to travel on the road without fear and to send children without fear."
Ganz added, "When you send a child on a trip and tell him 'it's not certain they'll shoot at you', this is a statement detached from the reality we live in. The demand for protection is not political, it is a basic matter of life and security."