The Civil Administration completed its work on Wednesday and set the jurisdiction for a new town, to be named Nahal Heletz, in Gush Etzion.
Setting the jurisdiction of the outline makes it possible to initiate procedures for establishing the town, one of the localities that the cabinet decided upon as part of the response to the Palestinian Authority's measures against the State of Israel and the unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state by several countries.
Minister of Finance and Minister in the Ministry of Defense, Bezalel Smotrich, congratulated the connection of Gush Etzion to Jerusalem, saying that “the establishment of a new town is a historic moment. About two months ago the State Security Cabinet approved my proposal for the establishment of five new towns in Judea and Samaria. Through combined work of the Ministry of Defense and the Civil Administration, they have put in much effort to implement the decision and, among others, promoted the outline of Nahal Heletz, that will be part of the continued momentum and construction of Jewish towns and villages."
Smotrich continued, "No anti-Israel and anti-Zionist decision will stop the further development of Jewish construction. We will continue to fight the dangerous idea of a Palestinian state and establish facts on the ground. This is my life's mission, and I will strive to realize it as much as possible."
"I want to thank all those involved in this project for their hard and dedicated work. Together we will continue to make Zionism thrive in Israel. We will build, develop, fight and win," he said.
Head of the Gush Etzion Council, Yaron Rosenthal added "After hearing the exciting news of the establishment of the new town, and after jurisdiction was set within the boundaries of the Gush Etzion Council, the area of construction has now increased to hundreds of dunams. We are excited by the news that a new, well-established and large Jewish community will be built in the Land of Israel. I want to thank Minister Smotrich, the professionals in his ministry, and the Gush Etzion Regional Council. The new town will create the connection between Gush Etzion and the capital, between Etzion and Zion [another name for Jerusalem]."