Al -Jazeera Net Correspondents
Occupied Jerusalem- On the eve of the outbreak of the war after October 7, 2023, it was a settlement Kiryat Shamouna Located in Gorgeous The highest north Palestine The occupied is filled with about 24 thousand people. However, the missiles launched from Southern Lebanon As tension escalated on the northern front, it pushed almost completely evacuating the city, and there are only about 3,000 people.
Although an agreement is reached For a ceasefire between Israel AndHezbollahAnd the Israeli government pledged to return the population by the end of March 2024, as the reality on the ground reveals a different picture, as it is only 13 thousand and 600 people, which means that about half of its population is still outside it, according to official data.
And the population emptiness that Kiryat Shumouna is leaving profound repercussions on the daily life in the city, which until recently was a vital border city, the schools began to be closed after the decrease in the number of students, while the commercial sector remained in a state of paralysis, as full work is only 17% of the shops, while 30% work partially, and 53% remain fully closed, according to the economic newspaper “Kalclest”.
Although months have passed since the bombing stopped, the process of reconstruction of the city did not actually began, which deepened the economic and social crisis, and led to the erosion of the societal structure and the decline in popular confidence in the government.
The collapse of the educational system
A report by the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper revealed that the city’s schools are facing a gradual collapse, as the “Corticak” school will close its doors soon after the number of students decreased to only 50 from the second to sixth grade, with a complete absence of registration in the first grade for the next year.
Yahya Abu Qarat, the father of one of the students, said that his children moved between 4 educational institutions in just two years due to evacuation and war, expressing his disappointment, “They destroyed the future of our children.”
On the other hand, Rafael Slab, the deputy mayor and official of the education file, considered that the decision to close the school is “strategic”, and aims to improve the quality of education by integrating small classes and turning the building into a regional center for excellence, instead of maintaining it for formal purposes.
In addition to the decline in education, the municipality suffers from a crisis in human resources, especially in the sector Social welfare. According to official data, 34 jobs for social workers were allocated to the city, but only 8 of them are busy, which means depriving thousands of families of social support, which they were receiving during the evacuation period.
While the government allows families to stay in the evacuation areas until next July, government support inside the Kiryat Shamouna has actually stopped since last March, which strengthened the feeling of abandonment between the returning population.
Civilization also suffers from a severe shortage of educational crews, and many young people spend their days without educational frameworks or job opportunities, in the absence of their relatives who are still in evacuation areas.
Residential crisis and the absence of solutions
Every day, dozens of residents flock to the municipality offices in search of residential solutions, but they face a complete absence of real services or alternatives, and the mayor, Avihai Stern, expressed his regret for the situation, saying that “what is happening reflects a deeper crisis in the state’s ability to deal with the consequences of the war.”
“The municipality is making great efforts to rehabilitate the city, but the reality on the ground is frustrated, and the population is away from the idea of return.” He criticized the government’s intention to establish new settlements near the city instead of supporting it, adding, “How can it be provided to new residents while the city collapses in front of our eyes?”
Government failure
Stern described what is happening in the Kiryat of Shumouna as a mirror of a deep government failure, with an almost complete absence in planning and implementation, stressing that the reconstruction process is still ink on paper, and that the stopping of resettlement grants made only half of the population return, amid fears of the conversion of temporary evacuation into permanent migration.
He pointed out that those who have returned, whether motivated by ideology or the absence of alternatives, face acute social, educational and living gaps, in light of a dilapidated infrastructure, almost paralyzed services, and the absence of a clear vision of recovery.
In the background of this scene, legal and bureaucratic obstacles hinder the reconstruction efforts, especially due to the dispute between the legal and army legal advisers on the definition of the “confrontation line”, which hinders the transformation of budgets and the actual start of implementation.
According to a report by the “The Marker” newspaper, the minister in charge of reconstruction Zeev Elkin faces severe difficulties due to complications Bureaucracy. The city needs about 10 billion shekels to rebuild it, but estimates indicate that it will not get the required amount.
On the other hand, 19 billion shekels were allocated for the reconstruction of the south, which includes only about 70 thousand people, while no budget for the North was included in the 2025 plan, although its affected residents are estimated at 120 thousand people, in a flagrant discrimination between the two fronts, according to observers.