Adding cities: For the first time, a strategic housing plan will be built in Judea and Samaria

June 13, 2023   

Minister of Construction and Housing Yitzhak Goldknopf arrived today (Tuesday) for a professional working tour of the authorities in Samaria, along with his office staff, the director of the Jerusalem District of the Ministry of Housing, and the director of the Judea and Samaria District of the Ministry of Home Affairs. Beit El Council Chairman Shai Alon received the minister and his entourage at the historical site "Jacob's Dream" in Beit El, where, according to tradition, our patriarch Jacob dreamed of the ladder. The tour of the site was guided by Dr. Hagai Ben-Artzi, who expanded on the history of the place and its surroundings according to the sources, along with explanations of the strategic importance of the location of the settlement. During the tour, the minister and the head of the council arrived at the new residential neighborhood in the settlement of 'Ramat Beit El', which was built by the Ministry of Housing and includes hundreds of housing units, some of which were marketed as part of the Mehir Lemishtaken program. "This is the greatest gift I have received in my life, to give people affordable housing here," said the head of the council. At a working meeting held in the council building with the participation of Hamra Datra and former MK Yaakov Katz, one of the founders of the settlement, the head of the council gave the minister an extensive overview of the acceleration of construction and the various residential and business projects that the council is promoting, led by the vacating of the Binyamin housing estate in favor of a project to add hundreds of additional housing units and thousands of meters of commercial space. The head of the council explained to the minister that the location has an approved urban plan and the only thing holding up the relocation of the HTMAR is an agreement between the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Finance, and the support of the Ministry of Housing. The minister made it clear that he would do everything in his power to advance the matter, to convene the Minister of Finance and representatives of the Ministry of Defense to bring about a solution, and that he considers this to be of great importance. In addition, the minister informed the head of the council that he would examine financing for paving a new road to the new neighborhoods, after it is approved by the Ministry of Transportation. From Beit El, the Minister, together with the Director General of his office Yehuda Morgenstern, continued to visit the Judea and Samaria Cluster. The tour began at the Ramat Gilad observation deck, where the Minister heard an overview of the challenges of the region from the Cluster Chairman and Head of the Karnei Shomron Council, Yigal Lahav. At the end of the tour, the Minister arrived at the Cluster offices in Karnei Shomron and held a fruitful discussion with the heads of the municipalities that are members of the Cluster. Minister Goldknopf received an overview of the Cluster's activities and discussed with those present the need to plan tens of thousands more housing units in Judea and Samaria. At the end of the meeting, the Minister ordered the commencement of headquarters work at the Ministry of Construction and Housing, led by the Director General of the Ministry, with the aim of building a strategic plan for housing and supporting infrastructure in Judea and Samaria. In the building overlooking the Emmanuel Local Council grounds, Council Head Eliyahu Gafni presented to the Minister the construction boom currently taking place within the council's boundaries, alongside the existing land reserves in the area, with the aim of providing a response. Demand. In a working meeting held with the professional bodies that accompanied the tour, along with the head of the council and senior municipal officials, the minister received an overview of the history of Emanuel along the city's timeline, along with future plans, the council's budget, and plans to expand the settlement. The head of the council explained to the minister the existing difficulty in access roads to the settlement in light of the fact that there is only one access road in the area. The minister said at the meeting that he would contact the central government on the issue together with the council. Director General of the Ministry of Construction and Housing Yehuda Morgenstern said during a visit to Emanuel: "It's gratifying to see the boom after the stagnation that was here. It's fun to come to a place that the authority is pushing together with us. We are mobilized for the development of the place. With creativity, we can find solutions to all the issues you raised. Under the guidance of the minister, we will issue new tenders for planning in light of the high demand." Minister Goldknopf said at the end of the visit: "Settling in Judea and Samaria constitutes a very significant housing solution to the housing crisis in the country in general, and we see adding cities and settlers in Judea and Samaria as a strategic need. People here live with dedication, it is our duty to help them, we will be of assistance to you as much as we can.".