Four-and-a-half years after the destruction of 15 homes in Elazar’s Netiv Ha’avot neighborhood by order of the Israeli Supreme Court, this morning the Civil Administration’s Higher Planning Committee greenlighted 433 new housing units in the neighborhood.
In addition, over 1,000 units were approved throughout Gush Etzion, while the eastern Gush community of Pnei Kedem was officially registered within the Israel Land Registry (Tabu). These homes are part of the decision earlier this month to build approximately 9,000 new homes in Judea and Samaria as legalize the status of 9 young communities.
Back in 2018, Israel’s High Court ordered the demolition of 15 Netiv Ha’avot homes, which was carried out in June of that year. At the time Gush Etzion Regional Council Head Shlomo Ne’eman drafted an official resolution stating that hundreds of housing units would be built in the exact location of the 15 homes.
In response to today’s approval Ne’eman, who also heads the Yesha Council of Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, said: “Today we are privileged to close the circle that started exactly six years ago, when I assumed the role of council chairman. Back then the court responded to those trying to save their homes – by destroying. Today, that “curse” became a blessing with the new approvals.”
Ne’eman added: “Today’s approval of over 400 units, to be built alongside the 68 homes currently in Netiv Ha’avot, along with the other approvals throughout Gush Etzion and Judea and Samaria as a whole, is a tremendous boost. I want to thank Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Galant, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, the entire Cabinet and government ministers. May we continue to build communities throughout Gush Etzion, Judea and Samaria, and the entire Land of Israel.”
Elazar is a community in Gush Etzion, located just south of Jerusalem and on the other side of the highway from Efrat.
