Minister for the Negev, Galilee and National Resilience Yitzhak Wasserlauf (Otzma Yehudit) has sent an urgent letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, warning of the potential collapse of Israel’s northern border communities. He urged the prime minister to approve extensive tax benefits for residents of the confrontation line communities in order to prevent economic collapse.
In the letter, sent just hours before the cabinet meeting, Wasserlauf warned of a “total collapse" of civilian life in the Galilee after two and a half years of continuous fighting and ongoing attrition.
“For approximately two and a half years, the State of Israel has been engaged in an almost continuous war against the Hezbollah terrorist organization in the Galilee. Throughout this period, the residents of the confrontation line have been on the front lines," Wasserlauf wrote, referring to the hardships endured by civilians. “Only about a year ago, after an evacuation that lasted a year and a half, residents returned to their homes. Now, after they have only just begun to return to normal life, they are once again required to live under wartime conditions while recovery from the first evacuation has not yet been completed."
The minister, who frequently tours northern communities, described a deep crisis among local residents.
“I spend a great deal of time in the field, meeting with local authority heads and residents, and I must note that during these two and a half years of fighting I have never encountered the level of emotional distress and decline in civilian resilience that I am seeing today," he wrote.
Wasserlauf also criticized the government's handling of the situation, noting that key decisions affecting northern residents-scheduled to be voted on today-including a multi-year development plan and a partial fortification program, are now expected to be postponed at the last minute.
“According to the information provided to me, due to various disagreements-some relating to budgetary sources and others to political considerations-the final version of these decisions has still not been published, and they are ultimately not expected to be brought before the government for a vote today, but postponed to a later date," he wrote.
The minister called on Netanyahu to intervene immediately.
“I urge you to intervene urgently, ensure that these decisions are indeed brought forward, and that tax benefits for all residents of the confrontation line, including the highest benefit level (20%), are included. This is the minimum that the State of Israel and its government can do for these heroic residents. It is inconceivable that we continue to withhold resources from citizens who live every day under uncertainty and constant threat. Just yesterday evening, classes were canceled across much of the confrontation line."
Alongside civilian and economic assistance, Wasserlauf emphasized that the real key to saving the north is military action.
“I am bringing you an urgent warning: the residents of the confrontation line are on the verge of collapse. Their resilience has an expiration date. Beyond civilian assistance, what they need most is security. Without strong and massive firepower that will bring the campaign to a decisive conclusion and improve the security balance, we will lose the confrontation line and its residents, and it will take a very long time to restore it to what it once was."
At the conclusion of his letter, Wasserlauf announced plans to establish a mobile office in the northern confrontation line communities in the coming weeks.
“I call on all my fellow ministers to move their offices northward until we bring the residents real solutions and restore the peace and security we promised them," he wrote.