Israel Approves $6 Million Expansion of Hebron Jewish Settlement
The Israeli government approved on Sunday some 22 million shekels ($6.1 million) in government funding to expand the Jewish settlement inside the predominantly Palestinian West Bank city of Hebron.
The new construction, which will be carried out at the site of a former Israeli army base, had already been approved by the Civil Administration for the West Bank. The cabinet’s resolution now enables the work to proceed on the new Jewish neighborhood, which is slated to include 31 housing units as well as kindergartens and public areas.
The project is in keeping with a policy to "develop the Jewish community in the city" on land owned by individual Jews, the cabinet resolution stated. A portion of the base was built on land that had been owned by Jews.
>> Night raids and attack dogs: For West Bank Palestinians, their homes are not their castles
Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman praised the cabinet’s approval of the funds, saying, "A new Jewish neighborhood in Hebron, for the first time in 20 years!" Lieberman tweeted. "I thank the prime minister and the cabinet ministers who approved the Hezekiah Quarter plan, which I have formulated."
Keep updated: Sign up to our newsletter
Email*
Please enter a valid email address
Sign up
Please wait…
Thank you for signing up.
We’ve got more newsletters we think you’ll find interesting.
Click here
Oops. Something went wrong.
Please try again later.
Try again
Thank you,
The email address you have provided is already registered.
Close
Following the War of Independence and the capture of the West Bank by Jordan, the land was leased to the Hebron municipality, which built a central bus station there. It remained in operation after Israeli forces captured the area in the 1967 Six-Day War. The land was requisitioned by the army in 1987.
The new settlement project, which will reduce the military zone in the area, will be funded by a number of government ministries, including 2.8 million shekels from the Defense Ministry. Other ministries providing funding include the Science, Technology and Space Ministry, the Environmental Protection Ministry and the ministries of social equality, justice and education. Some of the funds will come from this year’s budget, with the rest coming from the 2018 budget.
The new construction in Hebron is the first substantial Jewish settlement construction there in a decade. Haaretz initially reported on the plans in 2016. Now that the cabinet has approved funding for it, the project can move ahead. Another Jewish settlement, Kiryat Arba, is located just east of the city.