Housing Minister Yoav Galant (Kulanu) toured the Gush Etzion communities of Tekoa and Maaleh Amos on Tuesday.
The visit, which was hosted by with Gush Etzion Regional Council Chief David Perl and Deputy Chief Moshe Swiel, highlighted the strategic importance of the two towns, which are part of the eastern Gush Etzion bloc, outside of the route of the security barrier separating pre-1967 Israel from most of Judea and Samaria.
“We’re visiting Gush Etzion,” said Galant, “a place of great historical importance on the one hand, but also great strategic importance. We have an obligation to build in this area. It’s natural for there to be [Israelis] living here, and we are assisting them.”
Galant also addressed the ongoing efforts to permanently resettle residents of Gush Katif expelled in the 2005 Disengagement. The minister announced that a plan to resettle the former Gaza residents in the town of Neve Yam in the north had would soon be implemented.
“[I]t looks like this evening we will tie up the loose ends, and [Agriculture] Minister Ariel and I will sign on the establishment [of a new section] of Neve Yam for the Gush Katif expellees, from Alei Sinai, Nisanit, and other towns.”
Gush Etzion Council head David Perl praised Galant during the visit, saying he was committed to the growth of Jewish communities in the area.
“I was happy to see the seriousness and commitment of the [Housing] Minister to Gush Etzion. I believe that together we will continue to build in Gush Etzion as part of the greater Jerusalem metropolitan area.”