The northern towns of Acre, Carmiel and Tiberias petitioned the High Court of Justice on Tuesday demanding the government and Finance Ministry grant their local authorities and residents the benefits given to residents in frontline communities in Israel's north.

A government decision classified towns within nine kilometers of the northern border "frontline communities." The classification makes them eligible for benefits in order to alleviate the security onus caused by their proximity to the border.

The petitioners claim that last summer's Second Lebanon War, which found all of Israel's north under fire from Katyusha rocket attacks fired by Hezbollah militants, proved "undoubtedly" that the security onus placed on Acre, Carmiel and Tiberias is identical to that on the communities close to the border.