Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich plans to bring a cabinet resolution allocating NIS 30 million to assist northern business owners harmed by protection rackets (extortion), following a prolonged struggle by northern residents, according to N12.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich intends to bring a cabinet resolution allocating NIS 30 million to assist business owners in northern Israel who have been harmed by protection rackets (פרוטקשן, or extortion payments), N12 reported Wednesday evening. The initiative follows a prolonged struggle by northern residents, the report said. The source message provides no further details on the mechanism, timeline, or eligibility criteria. As The Zioneer has previously reported, the government has advanced a broader NIS 4 billion supplementary development plan for the north (June 11), as well as a full compensation framework for northern businesses through June 2026 (June 16). However, those frameworks addressed losses due to fighting, not extortion. The new proposal addresses a separate, organized-crime-related harm distinct from wartime damage. The cabinet resolution has not yet been approved or scheduled for a vote, as the proposal is still being prepared.
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