Government promises northern town heads NIS 6.5 billion plan to rehabilitate

An official with the Prime Minister’s Office meets with the heads of towns close to the northern border and promises a NIS 6.5 billion ($1.7 billion) investment in rehabilitating areas affected by missile attacks from Lebanon amid the war against the Hamas terror group in Gaza.

Yossi Shelley, the director of the PMO, holds a meeting in Nof Hagalil (formerly Nazareth Illit) and unveils a program called “Tzafona” (“northward”), which he says is a “strategic, wide-ranging plan for the benefit of the rehabilitation and development of communities along the line of conflict in the north.”

Tens of thousands of Israelis in towns and cities near the northern border with Lebanon and Syria have been evacuated for the past six months due to rocket attacks, and some of the affected areas have suffered heavy damage from regular missiles.

The PMO says it is working on securing a budget of NIS 6.5 billion ($1.7 billion) for the years 2024-2028 to rehabilitate and invest in the area, including for security and social needs, agriculture, economy, strengthening municipal authorities. The plan also includes a promise to construct a university in the city of Kiryat Shmona next to the border, as well as investing in agro-food tech business and other fields in that part of the country.