"This is a war for our home," a municipal spokesman said.
By MIRIAM BULWAR DAVID-HAY (TRANSLATED)
Hod Hasharon has decided to fight any Interior Ministry attempts to merge it with Kfar Saba, and has set up a "campaign headquarters" specially aimed to combat any such moves, reports www.local.co.il. Interior Minister Meir Shetreet recently announced that he was considering merging the two cities - as well as several others around Israel - in an effort to reduce duplication and improve efficiency among local authorities.
But while Kfar Saba Mayor Yehuda Ben Hamo has reserved judgment on the idea, Hod Hasharon Mayor Hai Adiv has made his opposition clear. "This is a war for our home," a municipal spokesman said.
According to the report, the council held a special meeting on the subject, and decided it would fight any merger with every legal means at its disposal, setting up "campaign headquarters" as a first step and taking out an advertisement in the local press urging residents to join the battle against the merger.
"There are bad political decisions and there are harmful political decisions, but the worst of all are decisions that damage an entire community," the advertisement said. "Hod Hasharon is a strong, balanced local authority that is enjoying unprecedented growth…why destroy it all?"