Northern Israelis in Jerusalem hotel plead: Don't evacuate us!

The FIRM Organization announced that fifteen families, comprising over 200 people from various northern Israeli communities, have been instructed to leave The Yehuda Hotel in Jerusalem by July 1, 2024.

According to the Jerusalem Post, these families, displaced by the Israel-Hamas war, have been staying at the hotel and are now expected to return to their homes near the Lebanon border. The settlements are Avdon, Manot, Elkosh, and the Ma'ale Yosef Regional Council.

FIRM, a Jerusalem-based non-profit organization dedicated to assisting Israel and connecting Christian supporters of Israel from around the world to come and contribute to Israelis. According to FIRM, the Israeli government is obligated to fund the stay of the displaced families but has evaded this responsibility for months, citing that the settlement of Avdon is 3.7 km from the border, not the required 3.5 km as stipulated by government decision 975.

Due to a lack of government funding, FIRM has supported the evacuees' stay at the Yehuda Hotel since the war's onset. Donations have been collected from hundreds of Christian communities in 80 countries around the world, with notable support from the USA and Canada.