The Jerusalem Mail article Israel is planning to shut down more than 100 letterpress stations, some of them in the heart of Tel Aviv’s commercial district, in a bid to stem an exodus of small businesses to the cities.
“We are taking steps to protect the livelihood of the letterpress business and its workers, who will lose their jobs, as well as our customers and employees,” Israel’s transport minister Yisrael Katz said Tuesday in Tel Aviv.
The letterpress is the industry’s backbone, producing thousands of pieces of paper and packaging materials for companies such as Coca-Cola and Nestlé.
In the past, the industry relied on private landlords to rent its equipment and staff, but now the government is planning a series of steps to limit the amount of private ownership.
The move comes at a time when Israel is in the midst of a boom in letterpress equipment, especially in the country’s largest city, Tel Aviv, which is home to more than 90,000 businesses.
The decision comes after an announcement in November by the ministry that it was going to “ensure the stability of the industry,” but also that the government would introduce measures to protect it.
In addition to shutting down the letters in the letter press shops, Katz announced that the letter presses of the commercial districts of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv will be closed.
The measures include restrictions on the number of workers, the number and quality of materials produced and the types of equipment used in the operation.
In Israel, letterpress shops have become a source of pride for the nation’s many families and businesses, which depend on the business to sell their products.
The closure of the businesses could also affect the livelihoods of small business owners who have to move to the commercial district for jobs.
A letterpress shop owner who wished to remain anonymous told The Jerusalem Times that her business has been on the upswing recently, adding that she had recently started her own letterpress factory.
“My husband and I have been working at the letters, and now it is going to be very difficult for us to stay,” she said.
“I will have to find a new job.”
The closure will have an impact on other small businesses, such as those of students who are studying abroad, she added.
The ministry has said that it is also looking into closing down the commercial streets of Jerusalem, Tel Rumeida, the Old City, the Haifa district, and the Beit Shemesh district.
The closures come after the Israeli cabinet approved the introduction of new legislation on Sunday that would require that letters be stamped on paper before being sold.
The legislation would also give the minister the power to block the sale of certain items that are deemed illegal.
The legislation also seeks to limit foreign ownership of the letters.
It would also restrict the importation of certain products and materials from other countries into Israel.
In December, Israel approved a bill that would create a new criminal offense that would carry a maximum prison sentence of 10 years for people who make or sell illegal goods.
The bill was passed in the Israeli Knesset in the wake of a wave of anti-Semitic violence in Israel.
Israel has a high rate of anti, anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant sentiment, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
The country is currently embroiled in a dispute over the fate of Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
