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This morning, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert convened the Cabinet for the Strengthening of the North and Haifa, which was established based on Sunday's Government Resolution. The Prime Minister called on the ministers to "storm the north and achieve a situation whereby the north will be strengthened as a result of the latest campaign". The ministers were instructed to do their utmost to lead and expedite the momentum of development in the area, both by allocating resources and accelerating the pace of work by the various ministries.
Vice Prime Minister Shimon Peres, who also serves as Acting Chairman of the Cabinet, estimated at the meeting that Jewish communities worldwide had collected a sum of 300$ million for the strengthening of the north, and added that the amount could be increased to over 500$ million. Interior Minister, Roni Bar-On, said that the mission of strengthening local authorities in the north began long before the war broke out and that emphasis should now be placed on the overall development of the authorities, with a look to the future. The Head of the Defense Department at the Home Front Command, Col. Yehiel Kuperstein, reported of the Command's activities to improve the preparation in the north, including maintenance and renovation of some 600 public shelters.
The Head of the Tax Authority, Jacky Matza, updated that to this stage, approximately 4,000 suits had been filed for property damage, and the estimate is that the number could increase and reach 18,000. So far, one week after the cease-fire, some 2,000 families have already received compensation. Matza added that once the appraisal is authorized by the family, the compensation is transferred within days. Families whose homes were damaged can decide whether they wish to repair the damages independently or through four reconstruction companies selected by the Ministry of Finance.
The Chairman of the Union of Local Authorities, Adi Eldar, suggested that a law be legislated or regulations be put in place, to allow heads of authorities, at their own discretion, to "ground" their workers in times of emergency. Elder claims that there are authorities in which many employees disappeared during the fighting, and since they were the ones who operate the local authorities, the authorities were unable to function or provide services. Elder further suggested that plans be made for the evacuation of specific populations in times of emergency.
The Prime Minister summarized the discussion and stated: "the Government did not predict that on July 12 a campaign would begin in the north. However, once it happened, each of the Government Ministries made preparations in their own field and we took the necessary steps – from the emergency transfer of dozens of millions of shekels to local authorities to the preparation of the health system. As far as we are concerned, cooperation with voluntary organizations is part of our worldview. Many do not know that a month before the war, the Director-General of the Prime Minister's Office held a discussion regarding the building of a model for cooperation between them and the Government. Throughout the war, the Government financed over 50% of the cost of a significant portion of the activities carried out by voluntary organizations".
At the conclusion of the meeting, the Prime Minister announced that the Cabinet would convene every week, and added: "anyone who wants to be a part of this mission must be here". Next week, the Cabinet will be presented with the activities of the work teams which were established by power of the Government Resolution.
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