The Cabinet at its weekly meeting on Sunday 5 Elul in the Ashkelon Coast Regional Council area, approved Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon’s and Finance Minister Yair Lapid’s 1.3 billion NIS five-year plan for the economic, social and communal development of Sderot and the communities in the area adjacent to Gaza. The Cabinet also approved a 200 million NIS plan for security infrastructure and protective components.
Council heads from the area adjacent to Gaza–Ashkelon Coast Regional Council Chairman Yair Farjun, Eshkol Regional Council Chairman Chaim Jelin, Shaar HaNegev Regional Council Chairman Alon Schuster, S’dot Negev Regional Council Chairman Tamir Idan and Sderot Mayor Alon Davidi – attended the meeting.
In addition to the foregoing decision, working teams are currently working on a long-range socio-economic development plan for all southern communities; it will be submitted for Cabinet approval before Rosh Hashanah. Moreover, communities in the south, including the larger cities, have already begun to receive compensation for the direct damages they suffered during Operation Protective Edge.
The additional plan for the development of the communities in the area adjacent to Gaza and the strengthening of the communities near the fence is designed to provide economic, industrial, agricultural, construction and social welfare growth engines. The plan will include incentives for rural settlement, the upgrading of infrastructures in the communities, incentives for employment and anchors for agricultural development. The Cabinet intends to approve investments and additional government assistance to the area in order to encourage economic growth and strengthen communal settlement in the area. Since 2009, there has been continual growth in the number of residents in the area adjacent to Gaza. Steps by the current Government have been designed to ensure that this demographic growth is sustained in the coming years.
In order to finance part of the security expenses for Operation Protective Edge and in order to finance completing the plan for security resilience, the Cabinet approved a 2% reduction in the budgets of Government ministries.
The decision is in addition to the Cabinet’s 13 July decision, worth 417 million NIS, for an economic benefits plan for Sderot and the communities in the area adjacent to Gaza.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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One Response
A leader of the Settlement movement told Hamodia about a year and half ago,that they are obviously fully aware that Bennet is putting on a superb rightist show for his nefarious ends,but
when really push comes to shove…
Did he reign them now in,or will they stand up to him in the coming moment of crisis?