Israelis in war-ravaged border communities rebuke Netanyahu as country heads to polls: We need hope

METULA, Israel — Israelis head to the polls Tuesday facing a question that goes beyond whether Benjamin Netanyahu should remain prime minister: who can rebuild a country battered by three years of war, restore confidence in its leadership and heal the deep divisions tearing Israeli society apart?From the struggling communities along the Lebanese border to the still-traumatized kibbutzim near Gaza, voters are weighing competing visions of Israel’s future — with some demanding greater government investment and accountability for Oct.7, while others credit Netanyahu with delivering the military victories that have made the Jewish state safer.“Three years of fear has changed the people and we need to give them a lot of hope,” said Asaf Lengleben, head of the Upper Galilee Regional Council, who plans to vote for the centrist Yashar party led by former IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot, the main opposition challenger to Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party.Thousands of residents fled their homes near the Lebanese border after Hezbollah began launching attacks following Oct.

7, 2023, and many have yet to return despite the Israeli military’s success in weakening the terror group.“People didn’t want to come back.They’re still afraid of Hezbollah,” Lengleben said.

“They feel alone and they decided to leave.Some decided to leave temporarily.

Others decided to leave for a long time.”Lengleben said fewer than 1,000 families with children have returned to communities in his region since the war began.The exodus has taken a heavy economic toll, with tourism collapsing and businesses struggling to attract customers and workers.In Kiryat Shmona, the Upper Galilee’s main urban center, shuttered storefronts and diminished school enrollment have complicated efforts to restore normal life.“If you want to strengthen our region, you have to build us a train, you need to build infrastructure,” Lengleben said.

“It’s about money.The ability of the government to ...