New poll shows a third 28% of settlers in north not to return: Maariv
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An opinion poll published by the Israeli newspaper Maariv on Wednesday showed that a third of the displaced settlers from the north "will not return to their homes."
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Fires break out after rockets launched from southern Lebanon landed on the outskirts of Safad, in upper al-Jalil on June 12, 2024 (AFP)
According to a new survey conducted by the Israeli consulting firm Tefen, Israeli settlers evacuated from the north are uncertain they will ever return to their homes.
The poll, according to Maariv, paints a "harsh picture" of the situation, citing that about 28% of the evacuated settlers are not willing to return to their homes.
Of those polled, 46% say they are willing to return once possible, and approximately 26% say they are yet to decide.
Additionally, 65% of the evacuees “are dissatisfied with the housing solutions offered to them by the state.”
The survey also addresses, according to Maariv, the care among the population of evacuated settlers, as 63% describe their psychological condition as not good, and 65% have not been treated psychologically.
More than a third of the settlers (37%) “do not believe that it is possible to restore safety to the population.”
Although 85% of the Israelis in the north were not fired from their jobs, two-thirds of the displaced settlers face unemployment and 73% say that their economic situation has deteriorated, according to Maariv.
The Director General of Tefen, Mali Bitzur-Frans expressed that "incorrect decisions carry a heavy price,” noting that “the sooner a mistake is admitted, the less damage.”
She added that there must be a decision taken regarding "The battle in the north, think about returning residents to their homes, and immediately address the economic and psychological affairs of the displaced."
40% من المستوطنين لا ينوون العودة إليها.. مستوطنات الشمال تتØوّل إلى مدن Ø£Ø´Ø¨Ø§Ø ÙˆØ£Ø²Ù…Ø© للاØتلال#غزة #جنوب_لبنان #الميادين_Go pic.twitter.com/coPTlb85PR
— Almayadeen Go الميادين (@almayadeengo) May 31, 2024
In the same context, the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that more than 8 months after October 7, Hezbollah remains the main threat to "Israel." not because it emptied the al-Jalil region, but because "50,000 Israeli settlers are being held hostage" and cannot return to their homes unless Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah allows them to.
In late May, a new study conducted by Tel Hai Academic College in "Israel" revealed that around 40% of evacuees from the settlements in northern occupied Palestine are contemplating not returning even after the war ends.
Since October 8, the Lebanese Resistance movement - Hezbollah has fired thousands of rockets, anti-tank missiles, and drones from Lebanon toward settlements and military outposts in the Upper al-Jalil and the occupied Syrian Golan Heights.
These daily attacks have caused extensive damage to housing units, buildings, and infrastructure, significantly undermining the security of many settlers. In response, the Israeli government evacuated numerous settlers shortly after the war on Gaza began, temporarily relocating them to hotels for over seven months.
Dr. Ayala Cohen, head of the college's Knowledge Center that conducted the poll, said, “The residents of the north have to deal with many difficulties of prolonged hotel stays. They are subject to great uncertainty from a security, political, economic, and social point of view.”
