In a joint announcement made on Tuesday afternoon, the Ministry of Construction and Housing, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Jewish National Fund (KKL) announced a new plan to strengthen and develop the currently existing communities in the Jordan Valley and build some new ones.

Three new communities are set to be established, according to the plan, over the next decade. The overall strategy is to more than double the  population fo the area so as to maintain an Israeli presence there. The plan calls for the absorption of some 10,000 new residents within the allotted time frame. That is approximately the population of the city of Efrat. Currently, there are approximately 7,000 Jewish residents in the Jordan Valley and Maaleh Efraim Local Councils. The plan also puts an emphasis on building new infrastructure for the new residents as well as public infrastructure.

Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel (Jewish Home) said that “the strengthening of agriculture and settlement in the Jordan Valley is a government goal, and we will ensure that the valley remains settled. There is a broad national consensus among all the parties regarding the settlement of the valley. ”

Housing and Construction Minister Yoav Galant (Kulanu) said that “the Jordan Valley constitutes the eastern security belt for the State of Israel. Strong settlement in the Jordan Valley is a guarantee for the security of the residents of Israel. A hold on this part of the land has security and strategic significance of the first order. This is another step in our series of activities for developing and strengthening settlement in Israel.”

Jewish National Fund Chairman Daniel Atar said that “as part of the Jewish National Fund’s investment in outlying areas, we decided to promote large-scale projects in the Jordan Valley this year. After years when no funds were invested in the Jordan Valley and no new infrastructure was developed, our goal is to significantly increase the number of residents in communities.”

“The strength of a state is measured by the strength of its outlying towns, and therefore we at KKL are making every effort to strengthen the social and geographic periphery,” Atar added.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)