Israeli Government Delays Northern Border Rehabilitation Plan

The government postponed a decision on Sunday to approve a multi-year plan for the rehabilitation of communities within nine kilometers of the Lebanon border. The plan also included immediate protective measures for the same area. Finance Ministry officials stated that the proposal was not ready and lacked proper coordination.

They said additional professional work would be completed in the near future.

All school frameworks in the area were canceled on Sunday due to the escalation in strikes. Education Minister Yoav Kisch announced that internal school grades would replace external matriculation exams for the week in areas under Home Front Command restrictions.

Kiryat Shmona Mayor Avichai Stern sent a message to U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday requesting permission for Israel to exercise its right to protect the country. Stern noted that more than 500 sirens had sounded in the North since the ceasefire began.

Ben-Gvir called the postponement a serious mistake and said the prime minister and finance minister were delaying assistance while residents faced existential threats. Opposition figures, including Gadi Eisenkot and Naftali Bennett, criticized the government for insufficient military action and for neglecting northern communities.

Bennett stated that civilians in the area had experienced conditions unprecedented since the founding of the State of Israel and questioned the government's focus while the war continued in the North.