Local official in northern Israel calls on authorities to 'end the war by May'

The head of the regional council of Upper Galilee, the area in northern Israel deserted by its inhabitants since the start of cross-border fighting with Hezbollah, has called on the Israeli government to "end the war by May," at which point, he asserts, residents intend to return to their homes.

Upper Galilee Regional Council Chair Giora Zaltz said he and his fellow residents insist on being back in their homes by July, according to remarks shared in a Haaretz report. July is the current expiry date for the government's evacuation order.

"It's still about equations, rules of engagement and who breaks them first, Hezbollah or the Israeli army. Enough is enough, this is not a game," Zaltz said. "We will start the next school year here in the North. The government must ensure that the escalation ends before the end of May and that the region is safe enough for us to return."

Israeli officials and local authorities have spent the last several days discussing the possibility of extending the evacuation order and postponing the start of the next school year.

In February, Zaltz told Israeli media that the army's decision to create a buffer area inside Israeli territory was "a big mistake." He believed that instead, the security zone should be moved into Lebanese territory.

The Israeli army "should be present north of the border to serve as a buffer between us and Hezbollah. After four months of evacuating the residents of the north, of Hezbollah taking charge of the fighting, the rules of the game must change," he had said.

A month earlier, he had warned that if Israel “doesn’t significantly harm Hezbollah’s ability to act,” it will have lost the war, and “on a national level, the north, as well as the south, will be taken 30 years backward.”

Almost 60,000 Israelis were evacuated from the north of the country when the front between Hezbollah and Israel was opened on Oct. 8. According to testimonies gathered by the Associated Press, many are reluctant to return to their villages.

With increasing intensity over the last couple months, Israeli officials have been threatening to do whatever it takes to enable the safe return of displaced residents, whether through diplomatic or military means.

In addition, a lobby from Israel's northern region, quoted in the Times of Israel, called on the international community to "put pressure on Hezbollah to comply with Resolution 1701" and withdraw north of the Litani River.

A resident of Kiryat Shmona, a town in northern Israel frequently targeted by Hezbollah rockets — and where one person died earlier this week — told the Israeli newspaper that "if the UN is not able to support Resolution 1701 to guarantee our security, we will put pressure on the government to solve the problem by military means."