The establishment of the 16 new localities in the Negev is entering high gear.
The Minister of the Interior, Ayelet Shaked, held a meeting earlier this week with the Minister of Construction, Zeev Elkin, and with members of the Israel Land Authority and the Planning Administration.
This is to promote the plan for the construction of these localities.
Some have already passed a first government decision or approval by the National Planning and Building Council.
But now, following Minister Shaked's decision, their establishment will be accelerated.
The Israel Today website first published last week the minister's decision to expedite the issue.
These are 16 localities, the largest of which is Kasif near Arad.
It is planned to be a locality with urban characteristics, probably for the ultra-Orthodox sector, with tens of thousands of housing units.
Four other localities have a rural character in the Arad Valley, still unnamed, which are defined as localities in the Arad Valley north of Road 31.
In addition, the localities of Nitzanit will be established at the entrance to Nitzana, which will be a community with about 1,600 housing units, and the city of Ovot, a tourist village south of the Hatzeva junction.
These localities have passed a first government decision and have been approved by the National Planning and Building Council, and are due to be submitted for final approval by a second government decision.
Gideon Markovich, Photo: Gideon Markovich
"The ultra-Orthodox need apartments"
Apart from these, 500 housing units will be built in the Hanun community in Sdot Negev.
It is expected to be involved, and is intended for a national-religious and secular public.
The Hiran and Yatir community localities have already gone through all the processes, and are awaiting actual implementation.
The locality of Neve Tamarim, in the Ramat Negev Regional Council, is in the final stages of planning for development and population.
The three localities of Omrit, Neve Hadarim and Nabatieh, on Route 25, are only in the initial stage of initiation before the first government decision on the issue.
The settlement of Diya, on Road 80 between Arad and Dimona, passed a first government decision, and the National Planning and Building Council decided not to approve it.
As a result, it now requires the renewal of a first government decision.
The last locality is the community locality Shelach, in the heart of the Negev, between the Nitzana region and the Tlalim junction.
In a conversation with Israel Today, Shaked described the projects as a "strategic step for Israel, both to increase the number of residents in the Negev and flourish the wilderness, and also to preserve state lands. The ultra-Orthodox need many housing units, and as there is a large community in Arad, they can certainly Settle the city as a sword. "
Minister Elkin added: "The settlement of the Negev is still relevant, and now even more so. We will continue to work for construction in this entire area."
