Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu this week announced plans to build thousands of housing units in communities throughout Yehuda and Shomron.
Next week, on Tuesday, 27 Tishrei, the Supreme Planning Council of the Civil Administration is scheduled to convene to approve the construction of thousands of housing units, including the construction of 129 units in Avnei Chafetz, 300 housing units in Beit El, 158 units in Kfar Etzion, 102 units in Negahot in the South Hebron Hills, 30 units in Hebron, 206 units in Tekoa, 97 units in Rechalim and 48 units in Maale Michmas.
Betar Illit Mayor Meir Rubinstein is calling on chareidi elected officials to act contrary to the Prime Minister’s plans, since chareidi communities are not included in the planned construction.
Rubinstein explains Mr. Netanyahu plans to build a total of 3,800 housing units to the exclusion of chareidi communities. He reminds chareidi elected officials that the largest industrial area in his city, the “Yar HaAngli” (English Forest) was excluded from the planning board meeting. He explained this industrial zone is planned to be 800 square dunam (200 acres) and he is working to advance the project for a decade but now, it is forgotten. “This area is critical and intended to permit the city to become financially independent” explains the mayor, who in unwilling to back a major plan for construction thousands of housing units throughout Yehuda and Shomron while excluding chareidi cities.
He points out the area designated for the industrial park reaches the Green Line, and the planning stage is done and now, the government just has to advance to the action stage.
According to the mayor, who serves as chairman of the Forum of Chareidi Local Authorities in the Center for Local Government, the discussion of the industrial zone is not only a breach of the prime minister’s promise to Interior Minister Aryeh Deri, but also a spitting in the face of the chareidi public. “Declare empty declarations about encouraging chareidi employment, but prevent the establishment of a vital industrial zone for a chareidi city that needs it like air for breathing.”
The Prime Minister turned to the chareidi representatives in the Knesset, Interior Minister Aryeh Deri, Deputy Education Minister Meir Porush and Finance Committee Chairman Moshe Gafni, demanding that they act to bring the Betar industrial zone back to the agenda of the Planning Council.
Two months ago, a ceremony was held at Betar Illit for the laying of the cornerstone of the third hill of the city, which was also attended by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. In his speech, Netanyahu promised to help expand the community, but according to the mayor, planning for future neighborhoods is also being delayed, “when there are no plans for apartments, there will be nothing to market even when the opportunity comes. We were promised to promote planning, even now it is not being carried out. The chareidim constitute about half of the Jewish population in Judea and Samaria. How can it be that 3,800 housing units are marketed in Judea and Samaria and not even one apartment for the chareidim?” he concludes.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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One Response
I don’t know how these things are defined in Israel, but here an industrial zone and housing units are mutually exclusive zoning areas. I also don’t understand “How can it be that 3,800 housing units are marketed in Judea and Samaria and not even one apartment for the chareidim?” Is he claiming that Hareidim are forbidden to move into any of these 3m800 planned housing units?
In any case, seems obvious there is some strategic planning here to spread the allocations among a large number of smaller communities. Betar Illit must be some 10 times the population of the largest other settlement listed and the nature of planning for such a large population as Beitar Illit is considerably different than planning for what look like startups.