‘No trust in the government’ – Residents of northern Israel mark Independence Day with protests

Large swaths of northern Israel are abandoned and destroyed

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Many of northern Israel's residents couldn’t bring themselves to celebrate this year’s Independence Day on Tuesday. Instead, they took to the streets to express their frustrations with the government after suffering over seven months of Hezbollah attacks.

Twenty-four Israelis have been murdered so far – six of them during the last month – including a citizen who was killed by Hezbollah fire on Independence Day in Kibbutz Adamit.

“It is hard to understand how the state wants to restore the trust of the residents. No one is telling us to return home and no one is making efforts for us to return home,” Naomi Bakor, community coordinator at Kibbutz Adamit, said Wednesday.

Tens of thousands of residents from towns and communities near the border, including Adamit, remain evacuated from their homes, even after seven months of fighting.

“I would like them to come immediately and talk to us, not just the head of our council, and see how we are strengthening the settlements. The state made many promises. Bibi [Netanyahu] was with the heads of the authorities months ago – what happened with that?” Bakor said.

On Tuesday, hundreds – including local mayors and heads of regional councils – marked Independence Day by protesting and blocking off major junctions in northern Israel.

“Northern residents have been displaced from their homes for seven months, and they have no idea when they’re going home,” said Moshe Davidovich, head of Mateh Asher Regional Council. Davidovich is also the chairman of the “Frontline Forum,” a group of local leaders demanding the government to bring about either a diplomatic or military resolution allowing residents to return to their homes.

“For seven months, business owners have been collapsing… people don’t know what to do with themselves because they’re so full of despair and frustration,” he told Walla News. “We demand that the government immediately compensate the businesses and the farmers.”

“For seven months the feeling of security has been damaged and Hezbollah is shooting and hitting in every direction. We demand from the government a clear plan for how they will fight Hezbollah and whether there will be a diplomatic resolution and a demilitarized zone or a significant war in the north,” Davidovich added.

The local activist group Lobby 1701 published a map showing the strip of land that continues to be evacuated and closed off to the public, declaring: “Independence Day 2024 – The State of Israel withdraws from the Galilee. It is shrinking.”

1/4 🇮🇱 יום עצמאות 2024- מדינת ישראל נסוגה מהגליל. מתכווצת. תפתחו את המפה. מציאות בלתי נתפסת. רצועת בטחון לראשונה על ריבונות ישראלית , על חשבון חייהם של מאה אלף תושבים. אבל אנחנו נחושים וחזקים ולא נוותר. pic.twitter.com/UymPfs5Exz
— Lobby 1701 - לובי 1701 (@Lobby1701) May 13, 2024

“Open the map. It’s an unimaginable reality. For the first time, there is a security zone on sovereign Israeli territory, at the expense of the lives of a hundred thousand residents. But we are determined and strong and we will not give up,” Lobby 1701 wrote on 𝕏.

“We want to remind you: We have not been in our house for more than 7 months. Farmers do not cultivate their plots and plantations. There is no traffic on the northern roads. The streams and nature reserves are empty of people. Huge fires.”

30 שנה אחרי "העם עם הגולן", הסטיקר חוזר- הפעם בגרסת הגליל: לרגל יום העצמאות, ועל רקע מחאת תושבי הצפון על המציאות הקשה בה נתונים, חברי 'לובי1701' יפיצו עשרות אלפי סטיקרים ברחבי ישראל ובעולם. הסטיקר החדש, פרי יוזמה של המעצבת, רוני שמואלי. תושבי הצפון, אשר כבר 7 חודשים נמצאים… pic.twitter.com/PXmGJingra
— יאיר קראוס (@yair_kraus) May 14, 2024

“Civilians and soldiers are hit by anti-tank missiles and UAVs and sometimes we hear how life continues throughout the country as usual - and our hearts are broken. The time has come to bring everyone into the event and say in a loud voice: The people are with the Galilee. We need you with us. This is a war for our home and a battle to protect your home,” the group stated.

Lobby 1701 also began a sticker campaign with the slogan: “The people are with the Galilee,” modeled on a campaign from the 90s when Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights was debated.