Last update - 00:00 13/02/2008
Residents of north: Israel has declared Jihad on us
By Jack Khoury and Eli Ashkenazi, Haaretz Correspondents
Residents of the northern border communities near Lebanon rallied Wednesday in protest of the treasury's decision to cut their tax benefits, carrying signs reading "Israel has declared Jihad on the North."
Dozens of residents from Kiryat Shmona and Metula gathered at 'the Good Fence' on the Lebanese border and began marching towards Kiryat Shmona. They briefly blocked the entrance to the city as well.
"I say to the prime minister: Without the Galilee there is no Israel, " said Maalot-Tarshiha Local Council Chairman Shlomo Buchbut, who headed the protest.
"We will fight for our tax benefits without letting up."
"Young couples will not come to the north, the industry will not develop. Even now the industrial zone in Metula is dead," said Haim Katz, head of the Metula local council.
Later Wednesday evening, the protesters were expected to meet with Defense Minister Ehud Barak. Earlier, Buchbut met with industrialists and demanded that they too take part in the active protest, including possible strikes in the future.
According to Buchbut, the tax cuts will not only hurt the municipalities but also the private sector.
Today, the 160 communities that are near the Lebanese border receive tax benefits totaling NIS 740 million. The treasury is interested in expanding the number of communities that receive benefits, but in turn want to cut the benefit from 13 pecent to 7 percent.