Businesses in northern Israel say a delay tied to property tax compensation is blocking efforts to rebuild after wartime damage. Residents whose income was badly hit say they have seen little financial relief so far, even as repair costs and daily pressures continue to mount.
The problem is especially acute in communities near the Lebanon border, where the effects of the fighting are still being felt. After nights marked by gunfire from across the frontier, business owners are waking up not only to security fears but also to the struggle of keeping damaged operations alive.
Among them is Golan Alon, a paper mill owner trying to protect the business he spent years building. His situation reflects a broader complaint from northern Israeli residents, who say they are ordinary people with limited ability to absorb another round of war-related losses while waiting for state support.
The dispute over delayed compensation has become a major obstacle to recovery in the north. Without timely payments, affected businesses say they cannot properly repair property, restore activity or plan for the future, leaving the region's economic recovery uncertain even after the fighting has eased.
