Minister of Defense and Chairman of the Yisrael Beiteinu Party, Avigdor Lieberman laid the cornerstone for the construction of a new Merkava tank factory and the new IDF rehabilitation and maintenance center which is to be located in the Zipporit industrial zone in Upper Nazareth.
Lieberman said at the ceremony that "one of the goals of the project is first of all to preserve a Jewish majority in the Galilee, and we should say this and not be ashamed of it. More than NIS 5 billion will be invested in the project and more than 2,000 permanent employees and civilians working for the IDF will be employed at the plant. "