The head of the Eshkol Regional Council, Michal Uziyahu, responded to the government's decision to remove security restrictions from all communities in the council, saying: "The removal of security restrictions from all communities and the lifting of rehabilitation restrictions from our four settlements in Eshkol - Kerem Shalom, Reim, Nirim and Ein HaShlosha, marks a significant stage in the return home of communities that we miss very much here in Eshkol." She added that "alongside this, these cannot be mere declarations. We expect the state to work to reduce the gaps between the promises given to us and the reality on the ground, through full implementation of recovery budgets."