The Israeli government on Sunday approved the construction of five new community towns east of Beersheva as part of the country’s broader national strategy to strengthen its sovereignty in the south, the Prime Minister’s Office announced in a statement.
The move, initiated by Israeli Construction and Housing Minister Haim Katz and Settlement Minister Orit Strook, constitutes “strengthening the Negev as a strategic region, expanding housing supply, dispersing population, deepening civilian and security presence, and creating a significant settlement continuum between Beersheva and Dimona,” according to the statement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quoted as saying, “During my visit to the Negev about two weeks ago, I declared: we will advance the Negev on several fronts, and one of them is Jewish settlement.
“This is a major settlement initiative—five community towns in the eastern Beersheva metropolitan area—continuing the momentum of the entire south.”
The five towns are set to be established along the Highway 25-80 corridor.
Earlier in January, Netanyahu paid a visit to the Negev during which he stated that it was “running wild,” vowing to “rein it in.”
“We are coming to return the Negev to the State of Israel. This means settlement on a scale we haven’t known, and it also means providing for the Bedouin residents. But it means, first and foremost—restoring law and order,” he said.
In late December, the Israel Police launched an open-ended, large-scale operation in the Bedouin town of Tarabin in the Negev, arresting 16 suspects on weapons charges and seizing military-grade firearms allegedly stolen from Israel Defense Forces bases.
The raid followed a series of incidents in nearby Jewish communities, including stone-throwing and arson attacks around Giv’ot Bar, that residents say left them feeling unprotected and forced many to go about armed.
Minister Strook on Sunday heaped praise on the government’s decision to build five new towns in the Negev.
“The settlement revolution is reaching the Negev as well. Establishing new communities in the northern Negev is a strategic goal that for years advanced too slowly, resulting in a lawless, shameful, and dangerous southern region,” she was quoted as saying by the PMO.
