The Gush Etzion Regional Council is currently advancing the establishment of a large new industrial zone, "Mevo'ot Lachish," which will cover 3,039 dunams (approximately 750 acres) north of and adjacent to the Tarkumiya Crossing.
The initiative is being led by the Settlement Administration and the Civil Administration, and another milestone has now been reached with IDF Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth signing an order establishing the jurisdictional boundaries of the planned industrial zone.
The Gush Etzion Regional Council views the project as a significant engine of economic growth for the coming decades. It is expected to expand employment and commercial opportunities, strengthen the council's financial stability, and support population growth in the region.
Alongside its economic significance, the industrial zone's location near the Tarkumiya Crossing is also intended to strengthen Israel's presence in the crossing area and along the security seam line.
Finance Minister and Minister in the Defense Ministry Bezalel Smotrich welcomed the development, saying: "Advancing the Mevo'ot Lachish industrial zone in Gush Etzion is tremendous news for the settlement enterprise, and particularly for the residents of Gush Etzion.
"Alongside the advancement of more than 60,000 housing units throughout Judea and Samaria, we are promoting numerous industrial, employment, and commercial zones, both to create jobs and to provide local authorities with economic resilience and stability."
Smotrich went on to address the security significance of the project and the political struggle over the future of Judea and Samaria.
"Just as importantly, this industrial zone will strengthen security along the seam line and around the Tarkumiya Crossing, and will protect Highway 6 and Kiryat Gat.
"In the face of those who want to establish a government with supporters of terrorism and create a Palestinian state overlooking Afula, Azrieli, and Be'er Sheva, we are building, regularizing, and developing. Not with words, but with actions."
The minister added: "We will continue to lead a broad wave of construction and regularization because this land belongs to us. It's that simple.
"I want to thank the Central Command chief, the Civil Administration, and the Settlement Administration for leading this important initiative."
Gush Etzion Regional Council chairman Yaron Rosenthal outlined the project's economic potential.
"The industrial zone at Tarkumiya represents an enormous achievement for the settlement enterprise, as it will be built between the villages of Tarkumiya, Beit Ula, and Nuba and the Adullam region.
"Beyond the achievement for the settlement enterprise, this is an industrial zone that, once constructed, will generate more than NIS 100 million annually for the Gush Etzion Regional Council and transform Gush Etzion into one of the strongest regional councils in the country."
Rosenthal added: "With God's help, these resources will enable us to provide the residents of Gush Etzion with a high quality of life and strengthen our hold on the rocky land of this beautiful mountain region.
"Many thanks to Minister Smotrich and his team, who worked together with us to stop Arab construction while creating a Jewish area that will strengthen the people of Israel in their land."