Northern Israel Comes Back To Life
Ryan R. Jones - All Headline News Middle East Correspondent Jerusalem, Israel (AHN) - Residents of northern Israel Tuesday began picking up the pieces of their shattered lives after more than a month in bomb shelters or safe havens in the south of the country, living conditions that resulted from incessant Hezbollah rocket barrages. With a UN-imposed ceasefire holding after 36 hours, vehicles began streaming back into communities such as Nahariya, Safed and Kiryat Shmona, and people who had not seen the light of day for days emerged from filthy, stuffy underground rooms. One of the hardest hit towns in the Hezbollah assault, Kiryat Shmona was struck by over 1,000 Katyusha rockets in the span of a month. More than half of its 25,000 residents fled during the war. Avi Tal, who reopened his coffee shop to welcome the influx of humanity Tuesday, told the AP, "We're trying to get back to normal. It's strange to adjust to the quiet after hearing booms for a month." All across the north of Israel, which is home to some two million people, small and medium businesses alike suffered a crippling economic blow. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told mayors of northern communities the government will do what it can to help, but a major rebuilding effort is already laying claim to stretched national resources. Not to mention the enormous cost of having conducted a full war by air, land and sea. Nevertheless, Olmert stated, "This is |
