’Kiryat Shmona’: Settlers Call It A ’Ghost Town’ As Crisis Deepens

 By Staff

The state of collapse among settlers in "Kiryat Shmona" is growing, with settlers describing the settlement as a ghost town. Shops close early, and the once-thriving settlement has seen a dramatic decline, as per “Israeli” daily “Maariv”.

The paper noted that one of the clearest indicators of the transformation of the once-vibrant settlement into an abandoned area is the market, which used to be bustling with people until late evening. Today, it is empty by noon, with kiosk owners left without customers.

“Maariv” quoted Yafa Fananou, the owner of "Otzrot David" jewelry design shop, as saying, "It’s getting harder day by day. People are leaving every day. Those who can't stand it anymore get up and leave. My shop has been here for 12 years, and I don't remember days like these. The workshop used to operate until 9:00–10:00 PM every day, and no one has ever seen days like this before. The situation is simply dire, and people are collapsing here. It’s a ghost town, a ghost town in every sense of the word."

Fananou went on saying, "I have nothing against the mayor. I worked for 30 years at the ‘Kiryat Shmona’ municipality, and no one can fool me because nothing is happening here. There’s no life here, and they send municipal inspectors to issue parking fines, which is absurd because there are no people. So far, we haven’t received a single shekel from the [government], and the bills keep coming non-stop."