Kiryat Arba settlers have accused the government of dragging its feet over the development of the Jewish settlement near Hebron on the West Bank, Dr. Haim Yehil of the Land of Israel Movement joined the settlers in their denunciation of the government at a news conference here.
The settlers said that plans to set up a formica factory at Kiryat Arba employing two to three hundred workers fell through when the government refused to approve it after a year of negotiations. The settlers, who now occupy 235 apartments, said that young couples and new immigrants are not being sent to Kiryat Arba and that the government has failed to construct 1000 apartment units promised. The government noted several weeks ago that while housing had been made available to anyone who wanted to five in Kiryat Arba, there had been as yet no volunteers.
The Kiryat Arba settlers claim that they have a waiting list of about 500 families ready to move in when housing becomes available. The news conference appeared to have been timed to apply pressure on the government just before next year’s budget is approved at the end of this month. The settlers reportedly believe the government is hesitating to give them full support because Kiryat Arba is the only urban settlement outside the pre-1967 borders.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
