The Netanyahu-Barak coalition government’s de facto freeze on building for Jews in Judea and Samaria affects schools and homes but not businesses, Southern Hevron Hills officials told Israel National News.
While Defense Minister Ehud Barak is not signing any papers that would alleviate overcrowded schools and a lack of housing throughout Judea and Samaria, building for factories and business continues as usual, explained Miki Mark, chairman of the Southern Hevron Hills Regional Development Company.
Miki Mark in new office
Its new headquarters opened its doors Sunday night in a developing industrial complex in the Hevron Hills, several miles northeast of Be'er Sheva.
“We have two factories, one from Be’er Sheva and from the center of the country, which are planning to build here in the next six months," Mark said during the dedication of the new edifice of the Development company owned by the area's regional council and Jewish communities.
The Development company's modern facility houses its offices, a transportation division that includes 50 vehicles, and an agency promoting tourism. The company also operates a small solar energy station, with a larger one under development.
The area’s first store, featuring toys, opened up Sunday night in the industrial center, adjacent to an existing factory producing body creams, and an oil recovery company which is part of the Delek Group headed by industrialist Yitzchak Tshuva.
Infrastructures Minister Uzi Landau (Yisrael Beiteinu) noted at the dedication ceremony that the new building was built with all of the necessary legal approvals, including that of Defense Minister Barak.
Earlier in the evening, Minister Landau visited the hilltop community of Avigail, which is on the government’s chopping block. He said that while Barak currently does not sign approvals to build homes in Judea and Samaria, “Bedouins continue to steal water and receive hook-ups for water and electricity."
Citing the portion of the Torah that was read last Sabbath commanding ethical business practices, the minister said that the government is not applying the law equally to Jews and non-Jews.
Nofit Damri (left) and Ranana Meir, of Otniel, unfurl the Southern Hevron Regional Council and Israeli flags at the dedication Sunday night. (Photos: Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu)