Occupied Jerusalem- At a time when the Israeli army promotes that the large military operation in Lebanon aims to return the Israelis who have been evacuated since the outbreak of war on the northern front in October 2023. To the border towns and GalileeUp It turns out that many of them have no desire to return to their hometowns after the war ends.
Despite the passage of more than a year since the Al-Aqsa Flood Battle launched by Hamas on the “Gaza envelope” settlements and Israeli towns in the south, About 120,000 Israelis – including 70,000 from Upper Galilee and border towns with Lebanon – did not return to their homes after they were evacuated due to the war.
For many of them, returning to their homes is not on the horizon, despite statements by Israeli army commanders that residents of the northern regions will be able to return within the coming weeks, as the evacuation of the border towns has implications. It has a difficult economic, social, and familial meaning, according to a report by the economic attaché in the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.
Dark horizon
In its report, the newspaper reviewed the experience of Ido Adler, one of the people evacuated from the town of Kiryat Shmona, and the father of 4 daughters, the eldest of whom is 14 years old and the youngest 7 years old. He had a cell phone supplies store in the city, which was closed during the months of the war.
Currently, the family lives in a rented apartment in the Ramat Yishai settlement near Beit Shean, and the girls have begun attending schools in the settlement, but Eido does not see on the horizon a return to the bombed city.
Eido said, “During the first two months of the war I was still working in my store in Kiryat Shmona, and in the third month I was providing as much help as possible to the reservists, and I was not really working. Then I realized that it was not profitable for me to keep the store open, because “There are no people in the city, and since then I haven’t worked.”
He explained that it was difficult for him to return to Kiryat Shmona, where he lived for 10 years, founded a family, and established a commercial interest there, saying, “In fact, one of the most difficult things that happened to me is that I lost everything I had founded. I have to re-establish myself, rehabilitate my family again, and integrate into the new place.” And finding work.”
No desire to return
These impressions were revealed through an opinion poll conducted by the “Majar Mohot” Institute among 500 people who were evacuated from their homes in the north and south, as it became clear that 50% of the people representing families who were evacuated from the “Gaza envelope” did not think about returning to their settlements.
The survey also showed that among the people evacuated from the Upper Galilee and the border towns with Lebanon, 70% do not intend to return to the settlements from which they were evacuated even if the war ends, because they do not feel safe and secure for their families.
Most of the evacuees in the survey claimed that they did not receive sufficient employment and employment assistance from the Israeli government, and they gave the government a bad to very bad rating in dealing with the families who were evacuated from their homes and in addressing their social and economic needs as well as their employment situation.
Figures indicate that among the residents of the north who were evacuated, 67% were full-time employees, 20% part-time, and 13% were self-employed, while their employment and operational situation deteriorated significantly.
Currently, only 39% of this population work as full-time workers, 17% work as part-time employees, and 10% of them are self-employed, while 32% of the population of the North are not currently working.
Military and political
The results of the poll contradict the position of the Israeli army, which believes that the residents of the north who were evacuated from their homes will be able to return to them gradually within a few weeks after the announcement of the end of the ground operation, which is estimated to continue based on the directives of the Israeli political level for a few more weeks.
According to the newspaper “Haaretz”, the Israeli army is expected to announce the disappearance of the threat to the settlements in the north, the destruction of Hezbollah’s capabilities for ground incursion, and that it is unable to operate as an organized military organization due to its exposure to severe damage, as the army estimates that about two-thirds of the party’s missile capabilities have been damaged. At the beginning of the military operation about 3 weeks ago.
But Yaniv Kubowich, military correspondent for the newspaper “Haaretz”, estimates that the army’s ground incursion into southern Lebanon cannot end with a military operation alone, noting that military operations must be accompanied by a political path so that it is possible to reach a settlement with Lebanon, which would To enable Israeli families to return to their homes.
Damage restoration
However, with the continuation of the military operation, the members of a large majority of the evacuated families – whether from the north or the south – do not believe that the various measures taken by government ministries will help them in the field of employment and creating job opportunities, according to lawyer Tali Nir, CEO of the “121 Association”, which leads A partnership of 50 business and social organizations working to invest in job development for evacuees.
The Walla website quoted lawyer Nir as saying, “Israel is facing a severe employment crisis among the evacuees, most of whom are from the north, as 32% reported that they do not work at all, and that their professional skills are eroding, and this poses a real danger to the economy and mental health.” For these people, this will reflect negatively on the labor market and Israeli society.”
From the point of view of the Israeli lawyer, the crisis is also an opportunity, and she says, “It is important to take advantage of this period to support those who are not working, and enable them to study a professional and qualification course and obtain psychological and job support, but they need funding from the government for that.”
She believes that proper use of this period will allow for rapid economic growth and social rehabilitation after the war, saying, “This is not only a personal crisis for these families, but also a fundamental national economic issue that will affect the economy in Israel for decades to come.”
