Overview
- The cabinet unanimously approved the regional development plan on Thursday, June 11, committing about NIS 4 billion for 2026–2030 and naming Safed, Acre, Nof Hagalil, Nazareth, Afula, Tiberias and Karmiel as core targets.
- The plan lists clear sector actions including financial incentives for new families, accelerated housing and urban renewal, job programs in high-tech and defense industries, and investments in tourism and cultural sites.
- It mandates specific security and resilience measures such as expanded street technology, more municipal police patrols, subsidized enforcement inspector salaries, and neighborhood emergency teams tied to the Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs.
- Senior leaders framed the move as a security response and a demographic strategy, with Prime Minister Netanyahu stressing pressure on Hezbollah and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich using the term 'Judaization of the Galilee,' language that could affect Jewish‑Arab relations in the region.
- The NIS 4 billion decision complements a roughly NIS 18 billion front‑line package approved last week, bringing recent North‑directed allocations to about NIS 22 billion, but officials have not provided a detailed timeline or disbursement plan for implementation.