MK Alex Kushnir, the head of the Knesset's Finance Committee, has accused the Likud party of hyprocrisy with regard to its policies for the Negev.
"Today the Likud decided to take a tour of the Negev after neglecting the region for long years and letting it deterioriate into a catastrophic state where criminals run rampant," Kushnir said.
"While you were strolling around there, we on the Finance Committee authorized a budget of tens of millions of shekels for the development of hi-tech and start-ups in the city of Beer Sheva, the first such huge investment in the capital of the Negev."