Claims of discrimination against the city of Betar Illit arose during a discussion between Interior Minister Aryeh Deri and the prime minister with reference to the plans to build in Judea and Samaria released Tuesday afternoon.
The plan has been criticized for focusing only on the major blocs, as opposed to all Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria.
Yesha Council members said that "a message was sent which should not have been sent. The US administration has been replaced and the State of Israel needs to adapt. The Israeli government must approve all plans which are on the table and accept our tenders for construction in all of Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley."
Deri said that the plans also discriminate against the haredi community and specifically against the city of Betar Illit which did not receive any extra building rights in the government's announcement.
Netanyahu told Deri that he supported the decision to expand the city of Betar and the matter would be dealt with and authorized.
Netanyahu stressed that he recognizes the distress of the haredi community and would give a directive to the professional officials to include Betar in the construction plans. He reiterated that the decision was not targeted against the haredi community, that it was simply a professional recommendation, and that he would allow "massive building for haredim".