The families have been living in the already established community of Kmehin, just a few kilometers to the south of where Be'er Milka will stand. Both communities are located just east of the Israeli-Egyptian border in the southwestern Negev. The region is the southern portion of the all-but-desolate Halutza Sands area, almost due south of Gaza.
Though Be'er Milka was first approved in 1998, only this past Wednesday were the first 8 caravans (mobile homes) delivered to the site. The families - hoping that electricity and water will soon be hooked up, that more caravans are added to the site, and that a road to the farming sites is paved - are scheduled to leave their transient Kmehin neighborhood this summer and move in, finally, to Be'er Milka.
Dudi Yitzchak, one of the Be'er Milka pioneers, told Arutz-7, "The truth is that, despite the long wait, we are very happy and excited about our upcoming move. I went to the site with my children when they were bringing in the caravans, and it simply brought tears to our eyes."
At the same time, it is hard for him to forget the many years he and his fellow pioneers waited helplessly for the wheels of government bureaucracy to turn. "I have been in this project for four years," he said, "while others have been waiting even longer. The thing that really hurts is that we've lost so many families along the way. I would say that we have lost 25 families over the last five years - about six of them in the past two years. I don’t blame them, I just feel bad that we would have been so much bigger had the government come through more effectively."
Dudi doesn't even blame the government: "It's probably just a matter of us being so far away, and because of that we get pushed down to the bottom of the pile. We also know a lot more now about how to push for things than we did before. Among those who did help us in the past, I want to mention specifically former Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who did a lot when he was in the Cabinet, and the Jewish Agency's Division of Settlement Affairs."
"We feel bad," he said, "because we really had a lot of pioneering spirit, and the government knows how critical this area is, and yet the help did not come. This is a genuine instance of practical Zionism, of the importance of developing new areas, of preventing this entire pristine region from falling into the hands of those who would abuse it - whether they be Bedouin, or real estate developers, or whatever."
"The region is also at a critical juncture in terms of security, where smugglers from Egypt would roam free if not for the settlements here. And it's also right near Kadesh Barne'a, where the Jews passed on their way into the Promised Land."
Be'er Milka will be the 13th community in the Ramat HaNegev Regional Council. The town is planned for 100 families, each of which will be eligible for a one-dunam (1/4 acre) plot of land for a home and 80 dunams for farming. Assuming the government comes through, it will be a true example of "making the desert bloom."
"One thing that I have to emphasize," Dudi said, "is that this entire area has tremendous potential - but only if the government helps out. We're willing to do our part - the fact is that we didn't leave, despite the tremendous difficulties of the past years - but we hope the government won't forget us and will do its part as well."
For more information on Be'er Milka, send email to <dudiitz@gmail.com>.
Some 20 kilometers to the north of Be'er Milka, dozens of families expelled from Gush Katif will build their permanent communities and homes. They are currently living in the Halutza communities of Yated and Yevul.
Though Be'er Milka was first approved in 1998, only this past Wednesday were the first 8 caravans (mobile homes) delivered to the site. The families - hoping that electricity and water will soon be hooked up, that more caravans are added to the site, and that a road to the farming sites is paved - are scheduled to leave their transient Kmehin neighborhood this summer and move in, finally, to Be'er Milka.
Dudi Yitzchak, one of the Be'er Milka pioneers, told Arutz-7, "The truth is that, despite the long wait, we are very happy and excited about our upcoming move. I went to the site with my children when they were bringing in the caravans, and it simply brought tears to our eyes."
At the same time, it is hard for him to forget the many years he and his fellow pioneers waited helplessly for the wheels of government bureaucracy to turn. "I have been in this project for four years," he said, "while others have been waiting even longer. The thing that really hurts is that we've lost so many families along the way. I would say that we have lost 25 families over the last five years - about six of them in the past two years. I don’t blame them, I just feel bad that we would have been so much bigger had the government come through more effectively."
Dudi doesn't even blame the government: "It's probably just a matter of us being so far away, and because of that we get pushed down to the bottom of the pile. We also know a lot more now about how to push for things than we did before. Among those who did help us in the past, I want to mention specifically former Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who did a lot when he was in the Cabinet, and the Jewish Agency's Division of Settlement Affairs."
"We feel bad," he said, "because we really had a lot of pioneering spirit, and the government knows how critical this area is, and yet the help did not come. This is a genuine instance of practical Zionism, of the importance of developing new areas, of preventing this entire pristine region from falling into the hands of those who would abuse it - whether they be Bedouin, or real estate developers, or whatever."
"The region is also at a critical juncture in terms of security, where smugglers from Egypt would roam free if not for the settlements here. And it's also right near Kadesh Barne'a, where the Jews passed on their way into the Promised Land."
Be'er Milka will be the 13th community in the Ramat HaNegev Regional Council. The town is planned for 100 families, each of which will be eligible for a one-dunam (1/4 acre) plot of land for a home and 80 dunams for farming. Assuming the government comes through, it will be a true example of "making the desert bloom."
"One thing that I have to emphasize," Dudi said, "is that this entire area has tremendous potential - but only if the government helps out. We're willing to do our part - the fact is that we didn't leave, despite the tremendous difficulties of the past years - but we hope the government won't forget us and will do its part as well."
For more information on Be'er Milka, send email to <dudiitz@gmail.com>.
Some 20 kilometers to the north of Be'er Milka, dozens of families expelled from Gush Katif will build their permanent communities and homes. They are currently living in the Halutza communities of Yated and Yevul.