The Gush Etzion Regional Council of Judea on Wednesday announced a master plan to advance 1,000-plus housing units in Gevaot, a nascent Jewish village near the larger community of Alon Shvut.
The plan, which was submitted for government approval, also includes assisted living facilities, commercial and employment zones, public buildings and open community spaces, the council announced.
The highlight of the plan is its integration into the community of Sadnat Shiluv, which seeks to enrich the lives of youth and adults with special needs by providing them with medical and paramedical therapies and services, including occupational therapy and physiotherapy.
The plan is an “important step toward responsible, balanced, and value-based development of Gush Etzion,” said council head Yaron Rosenthal.
“The Gevaot neighborhood will bring real momentum to the region and serve as a model for combining meticulous planning with the values of community and society,” the Gush Etzion Regional Council head stated.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has led an unprecedented drive to expand control of Judea and Samaria, approving 41,709 housing units and 50 new Jewish communities since late 2022.
On July 23, a majority of 71 out of 120 members of the Knesset passed a non-binding resolution in favor of extending Jerusalem’s sovereignty to Judea and Samaria as well as the Jordan Valley.
Only 13 lawmakers voted against the motion, which was submitted by Dan Illouz (Likud), Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionism), Limor Son Har-Melech (Otzma Yehudit) and Oded Forer (Yisrael Beiteinu).
“Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley are an inseparable part of the Land of Israel—the historic, cultural and spiritual homeland of the Jewish people,” the preamble to the resolution declares.
