Israel’s Economy Under Strain Due to War in Gaza, Potential Hezbollah Conflict: NPR





KATZRIN, the Golan Heights — The tours at the Golan Heights Winery used to take place daily, stopping by the fermentation tanks and the cellar where thousands of oak barrels are stacked 20 feet into the air. But the tourists and honeymooners stopped coming to this pastoral hills region after Oct. 7, 2023, when fighters from the militant group Hamas attacked southern Israel and touched off a war that has continued into the new year. KATZRIN, the Golan Heights — The tours at the Golan Heights Winery used to take place daily, stopping by the fermentation tanks and the cellar where thousands of oak barrels are stacked 20 feet into the air. But the tourists and honeymooners stopped coming to this pastoral hills region after Oct. 7, 2023, when fighters from the militant group Hamas attacked southern Israel and touched off a war that has continued into the new year. The Oct. 7 attack happened far from here, more than 100 miles away from the winery. But much closer is Israel’s border with Lebanon, home to Hezbollah, the powerful Iran-backed armed force with whom Israel warred in 2006 — and with whom tensions have risen this month. “The sound of planes, helicopters, booms, that’s kind of routine,” said Victor Schoenfeld, the head winemaker. No Hezbollah rockets have struck nearby — for now, the winery’s top executive said. “Not yet,” said CEO Assaf Ben Dov. “We don’t know.” The conflict, even at its current simmer rather than the full-blown war taking place in Gaza, has already taken an economic toll in these northern regions: Towns are emptied of people. Businesses are shuttered. Farm fields, including vineyards, lay untended, putting production timelines in jeopardy. “We will need to find new strategies. I don’t see any new or quick solution that will appear,” said Ben Dov.


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