Municipal leaders in Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley sent a letter to their residents Monday in which they stated that Defense Minister Benny Gantz has completely halted construction planning work in Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley despite his promises.
The letter reads: "In the past year, there was only one planning meeting instead of four as was agreed upon and customary until now. Contrary to what is said about this government approving plans like the previous government, the data shows otherwise. In 2021-2022, the number of plan approvals decreased to a low that has not been seen for many years,"
"This policy of strengthening the Palestinian Authority, which encourages terrorism, and turning a blind eye to the illegal construction it carries out, along with the freeze on Israeli settlement planning in the area - sends a message of weakness to our enemy and is a danger to Israel's future and security. The Minister of Defense stops construction for Jews, and encourages illegal Arab construction," they wrote.
This morning (Monday), members of the Regavim Movement erected a structure, decorated with Palestinian and European Union flags, near the Rosh Ha'ayin home of Defense Minister Gantz. In a matter of minutes, municipal patrol units and a police enforcement team arrived at the scene and demanded they evacuate the area.
The structure was built as part of the launch of Regavim’s most recent report on the status of land in Area C of Judea and Samaria. The “War of Attrition 2022” report reveals that the rate of illegal Arab construction has increased dramatically over the past year.
Meir Deutsch, Director General of Regavim, presented the central findings of the new study: “During Benny Gantz’s tenure as Minister of Defense, 5535 new illegal Palestinian structures were built in Area C, the Israeli-controlled section of Judea and Samaria. Regavim conducts precise and in-depth analysis of the situation on the ground every year, and carefully monitors the spread of illegal construction. This month, when we completed our mapping and analysis of the most current data, we were shocked and appalled. Although we had strong suspicions that the situation was devolving, the facts are even worse than we imagined: Over the past year, the rate of illegal construction skyrocketed by 80%. Gantz is not merely abandoning Judea and Samaria, he is actively establishing a de facto Palestinian state. Israeli voters should make no mistake; the upcoming elections are about one thing: will a Palestinian state arise in the heart of the Land of Israel.”