Great progress was made this week in the regulation of the young community "Nofei Nehemiah" near Ariel.
After eight years of hard work by the Samaria Regional Council led by Council Chairman Yossi Dagan, Nofei Nehemiah's master plan was approved together with the young community of Havat Yair and, as a result, this morning, Thursday, the first public transportation bus, line 101 to Ariel, entered the community and was received by the residents.
The head of the Samaria Regional Council, Yossi Dagan, left the "young communities" hunger strike tent to attend the historic ceremony, and with him came the former Minister of Transportation, Betzalel Smotrich. The ceremony was also attended by the chairman of the community committee, Omer Rahamim, and the transportation coordinator at the Samaria Regional Council, Rafi Avital.
Dagan and Smotrich cut the inauguration ribbon together and Dagan made the "shehechiyanu" blessing for special occasions.
Dagan later said, "This is an exciting historic day. In one day we made historic progress both with the approval of the master plan, and the community's opportunity for a normal and routine life. Public transportation is a basic right in a properly-run country. It is unfortunate to have to fight for such a thing."
The basis for regulating the community was set by the promotion of two other projects in the area. One was a lighting project at a cost of NIS 6 million from the Ariel Junction East to the Rehelim Junction - a project led by the Samaria Regional Council together with the Minister of Transport Miri Regev (Likud). The other involved regulating the Nofei Nehemiah Junction at a cost of NIS 4 million led by the Samaria Regional Council with former Minister of Transport Smotrich. Following these projects, the regulation of the community was also able to progress.