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Israel's Defense Minister Announces Plan to Protect Israelis Living in The North

© AFP 2023 / MENAHEM KAHANAAvigdor Lieberman, the head of hardline nationalist party Yisrael Beitenu, is seen during a ceremony in which he signed a coalition agreement with the Israeli prime minister at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem
Avigdor Lieberman, the head of hardline nationalist party Yisrael Beitenu, is seen during a ceremony in which he signed a coalition agreement with the Israeli prime minister at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem - Sputnik International
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Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman revealed an action plan on Wednesday to up security measures for communities in northern Israel.

According to Jerusalem Online, the "Shield of the North" plan will be implemented in some 300 communities located roughly 28 miles from the Syrian border. An estimated 550 public shelters, 800 schools and 65 hospitals and clinics will see an increase in protective measures.

If added security wasn't enough, Lieberman's plan also calls for municipal officials to help push the construction of private bomb shelters in 200,000 Israeli homes.

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The new measures, which will cost around some $279 million per year, will take five years to complete.

The Israeli Finance Ministry has yet to comment on the matter, Hadashot News reported. The proposal is expected to be reviewed in June before a budget can be determined.

Lieberman's proposal comes in response to rising tensions with both Syria and Iran, Jerusalem Online reported.

Israeli National News indicated that Hemdat HaDarom College, an educational institution situated near Gaza was forced to use its own funds to build a bomb shelter despite the government's promises to spend its own shekels. With no transfer in sight, the college spent $350,000 to build a shelter.

"We felt relief that we could now provide basic security to our students and employees, but this project created a serious budget deficit," a school official told the publication.

But there are still concerns looming over the heads of officials on campus. According to Kobi Wizman, the college's executive director, there are still some areas at the school that don't have "adequate shelters."

"We now need to find funding to cover the operating debt incurred by taking responsibility for the security of our students and workers," Wizman said.

Only time will tell if the Israeli government will fork over the dough "before it's too late," the executive director stressed.

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