Israel will launch a new mass campaign to attract more settlers to the West Bank and Gaza Strip next week, aimed to “establish facts” in those territories, according to Ben-Zion Rubin, Deputy Minister of Labor and Welfare who announced the program at a press conference here today.
Rubin said the new settlement drive “is the proper response to the refusal of King Hussein to join the peace talks.” He explained that this was so, even though the campaign was planned many months ago, because it was announced two days after Jordan declared it would not negotiate with Israel on behalf of the Palestinians.
“We shall establish facts in Judaea and Samaria whether you (Hussein) join or not join. Eretz Israel is all ours,” Rubin proclaimed. He said the effort to attract more settlers will begin officially next week, right after Israel’s Independence Day and would last a month. Tours will be organized to the building sites and settlers will receive loans on easy terms from the Housing Ministry, as well as grants, Rubin said.
He said 68 settlements on the West Bank and Gaza Strip are participating in the campaign. According to Rubin, 4,000 apartments are now ready for occupancy. There are presently about 30,000 Jewish settlers in the territories and the intention is to add 15,000 more by the end of next summer, a 50 percent increase.
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