A group promoting a Jewish presence in Judea and Samaria (Yesha), labeled as “settlements" by the international community, has launched a campaign to enter Yesha communities for the United Nations Habitat Prize for “human settlement.”
Shomron Liaison Office director David Ha'Ivri said. “Now you can show your appreciation for the dedicated pioneers of the Jewish communities in the Shomron,” the Hebrew term for Samaria.
The U.N. Habitat link,
www.unhabitat.org, where ballots are available for nominations, explains that the Habitat Scroll of Honor award is given to most prestigious human settlements in acknowledgement of “outstanding contributions in developing and improving human settlements and quality of urban life.”The deadline for submissions is August 15.
The U.N. Human Settlements Program was initiated in 1989 with the aim to settlements that ”have made outstanding contributions in various fields such as shelter provision, highlighting the plight of the homeless, leadership in post conflict reconstruction and developing and improving the human settlements and the quality of urban life.”
Eligible entries include private enterprises, cities and local authorities as well as individuals and public or private foundations.
The U.N. explains that entries will be judged on the basis of achievements in urban management, social development, land and housing, infrastructure and disaster management. Virtually every Jewish “settlement” in Judea and Samaria maintains an emergency response team in the event of an Arab terrorist attack.