Capping off a day of conflicting reports, the government finally voted to approve the new map of national priority areas. New locations might be added in the future.
The vote in the Cabinet meeting was 21-5. All five nay-sayers came from the Labor Party: Ehud Barak, Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, Avishai Braverman, Shalom Simchon, and Yitzchak Herzog.
Labor’s main objection was the absence of the city of Ashkelon from the map, as well as some other locations. Some Labor ministers also bemoaned the inclusion of many Jewish towns in Judea and Samaria on the map.
The Shas party ministers voted in favor, based on the consent of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to include the towns in which the expellees from Gush Katif now reside, as well as the southern-Galilee town of Harish. A hareidi-religious city of some 50,000 people is set to be built there.
The inclusion of other locations will be discussed by a ministerial committee that will make its recommendations within a month.
The criteria for inclusion on the new map of national priorities are: the security dangers faced by the town; economic strength; geographical location; and how many new immigrants it is absorbing. Netanyahu said the purpose of the map is to “bring the periphery closer to the center of the country.”
Among the major benefits to be given to cities and towns on the list are additional school hours, discounts for nurseries and kindergartens, and employment opportunities.