A dog walking in front of a burned-out car in the deserted Israeli town of Metula, near the border with Lebanon, on March 19, 2024. (Credit: Jalaa Marey/AFP)
"They talk to us about returning, but there is nowhere to return to," David Azoulay, president of the municipal council of Metula, Israel's northernmost town, said during his speech at the special meeting of the "Commission for the strengthening and development of the Negev and Galilee," held last week in the Israeli parliament."More than 70 percent of the houses were damaged, and 50 percent of them are in a state unfit for living," he said, whose town's population does not exceed 2,000 residents.Facing him, former Israeli Housing Minister Ze'ev Elkin, now responsible for the "Administration for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the North," provided further details about the extent of the damage measured in the "evacuation zone," which includes 43 localities in northern...
"They talk to us about returning, but there is nowhere to return to," David Azoulay, president of the municipal council of Metula, Israel's northernmost town, said during his speech at the special meeting of the "Commission for the strengthening and development of the Negev and Galilee," held last week in the Israeli parliament."More than 70 percent of the houses were damaged, and 50 percent of them are in a state unfit for living," he said, whose town's population does not exceed 2,000 residents.Facing him, former Israeli Housing Minister Ze'ev Elkin, now responsible for the "Administration for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the North," provided further details about the extent of the damage measured in the "evacuation zone," which includes 43 localities in...