While the fierce fighting in the Gaza envelope continues, and the death toll only increases as time passes, the north looks to the south with concern – and asks not to be next and prevent the next massacre. The residents are demanding that the ministries of defense and national security quickly arm them with weapons, ammunition and equipment, due to concerns about two new arenas that may develop in the north: on the one hand infiltration from Lebanon, and on the other hand – Israeli citizens from the villages in the area joining the fighting in the fighting.
Armored forces near the Lebanese border, Kiryat Shmona, photo: Gil-Eliyahu Jini
The situation in the northern communities is unsettling. As we reported here, the weapons depots of the alert squads were emptied, partly due to the fear that the weapons would be stolen by criminal elements. Another problem the residents face lies in bureaucracy: the demand to arm the alert squads passes through active reservists who are now far from their homes, having been mobilized for the war. The result: those who remain in the communities are adults after the age of active reserve service, who want to ensure the safety of their families and neighbors, and prevent the harsh sights from Beeri, Kfar Gaza, Ofakim and Sderot.
"Grenades, vests, cartridges needed"
"We are begging the government not to be in the next massacre," Eran Teper, a resident of the Misgav Regional Council, told Israel Hayom, "We are near large concentrations of Arab population in the Lower Galilee, and not too far from the Lebanese border. Both of these threats, in the face of alert squads equipped only with guns. It's a joke. We need long weapons, vests, magazines, grenades, helmets – everything."
Tepper explains that he approached Defense Minister Yoav Galant and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, but encountered difficulties when he asked for the army's approval to acquire long arms. "This weekend we understood that the army will not be at the next events, neither the police nor the Border Police. Only the alert squads will save the communities from the kitchen," Tepper clarifies, sending a message to the ministers: "I would like to intervene and give an immediate order to receive long weapons to the Misgav area. This is urgent and important and could save many lives." He points to similar problems in two of the council's localities, its neighbors and Kishorit.
Armored forces near the Lebanese border, photo: Gil-Eliyahu Jini
vs. system opacity
"In the Golan and in some of the communities in the Galilee there are no alert squads," adds Lt. Col. (res.) Adi Kadoshevitz from Moshav Ani'am, "There used to be armouries and a few years ago they were emptied due to fear of theft by criminal elements. In our community, they said that only six weapons can be signed for people who are still serving in the reserves. It's a laughing stock from work, because these people have now been called up to the reserves. Those who sign the weapons must be people who are no longer in reserve duty and remain in the community. We're trying to convince the system now that that's what makes sense to do, but right now we're being harassed, without any progress."
Already yesterday, Kadoshevich spoke with the head of the council in order to expedite the process. "All night long we hear airplanes overhead, and today we can say that everything is a sign of things to come. We must be given weapons here, before it's too late. I'm 62 years old, I was a battalion commander, a brigade sergeant, even if they would formally recruit us if necessary, in order to get the weapons that would protect our lives here. There is a war!"
The Lebanese border, photo: Eyal Margolin - Genie
A conversation with a senior official in the Ministry of National Security indicates that since Saturday, there have indeed been dozens of requests from northern communities to quickly acquire long weapons, and that in the past 30 hours <> communities have been approved to purchase such weapons. But many more communities are still waiting. Minister Ben-Gvir's office promises swift handling and the removal of bureaucratic barriers in order to provide the communities with the necessary approval; However, those who will have to finance the purchase of weapons will be the communities themselves, and this is a very expensive business.
Minister Ben-Gvir, as well as his ministry's director-general, Shlomo Ben-Eliyahu, ordered the waiver of immaterial criteria for recognizing a particular locality as "worthy" (to acquire long arms), and called on localities to submit applications as soon as possible. In addition, they emphasize that those who can submit the application are the communities themselves, and not individual residents. Another approval mechanism is also in place with Defense Minister Galant. It now remains to be seen whether the applications will be approved as quickly as necessary; While victims continue to be counted in the south, in the north there is still hope of averting disaster ahead of time.
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