The Higher Planning Council has approved 567 new housing units in two communities in the Mount Hebron Regional Council - 342 units in Asael and 225 units in Beit Hagai.
In Asael, a plan comprising 342 housing units received final approval, bringing the process of formally regulating the community close to completion. Asael was established in 2001 and is considered one of the young communities in Judea and Samaria. The approximately 100 families living there have until now resided in temporary housing.
The approval of the plan, after 25 years, will enable the final regulation of Asael and its expansion through the absorption of hundreds of new families.
At the same time, a plan for 225 housing units in Beit Hagai, which was established in 1983, received final approval. The Mount Hebron Regional Council says implementation of the plan is expected to double the size of the community within several years.
Finance Minister and Minister in the Defense Ministry Bezalel Smotrich, who led the initiative, said: "Advancing the plans in Asael and Beit Hagai is very important news for the settlement enterprise, but no less so for the stability, security and resilience of the State of Israel."
Smotrich argued that strengthening the communities of Mount Hebron also contributes to the security of other communities and cities in the region.
"Mount Hebron, under the leadership of Regional Council head Eliram Azoulay, is a pioneering council that works tirelessly for its development and growth and to safeguard state lands. It is working not only for itself, but also for the security of the residents of Kiryat Gat, the Lachish region, Lehavim and Be'er Sheva."
Referring to the election campaign, Smotrich attacked his political rivals, saying: "While an Eisenkot-Liberman-Golan government wants to destroy and establish a Palestinian state that would control Ben Gurion Airport and Soroka, we are regulating the community of Asael and doubling Beit Hagai. Not with words, but with actions."
He added: "We will continue to lead a major surge in construction and extensive regulation because this land belongs to us - it's that simple. I would like to thank the Civil Administration and the Settlement Administration for leading this important initiative."
Mount Hebron Regional Council head Eliram Azoulay welcomed the approval of the plans.
"This is historic news for the communities of Mount Hebron, and this is only the beginning. This is a Zionist step of the highest order. The approval of 567 housing units, the regulation of the community of Asael and the doubling of Beit Hagai are a clear response to anyone seeking to undermine our hold on the land."
"We are strengthening our roots, expanding the communities and welcoming new families as part of a tremendous development drive. We will accelerate construction, settlement and the flourishing of the Judea region with all our strength," Azoulay concluded.