Finance Minister and Minister in the Defense Ministry Bezalel Smotrich revealed Wednesday night at a ceremony formalizing the town of Gvaot in Gush Etzion in Judea and Samaria – he plans to approve thousands of additional housing units there, transforming the town into a city. The announcement comes after approval of more than 800 initial housing units in the community, which was recently formalized as a town in the State of Israel.
1+According to Smotrich, establishing a large city in Gvaot carries major strategic importance for Gush Etzion and for creating continuity in the area. He said the event marks the decision to establish a large city there, alongside celebrating approval of the first zoning plan and completion of the community’s formalization procedures.
Gush Etzion Regional Council head Yaron Rosenthal praised Smotrich’s work, saying: “The main credit for this revolution goes first and foremost to our friend, Minister Bezalel Smotrich. Not many people believed it would be possible to establish new towns. From time to time they received symbolic small towns, isolated towns, within some very, very special constellation. But during this government’s term, Gush Etzion has doubled itself in the number of towns in the last 3 years.”
1+The moving event, held at the Shiluvim Workshop plaza in Gvaot, featured a performance by singer Shuli Rand and was attended by hundreds of participants, families from the town, and dozens of children from nearby communities. Also present were Religious Zionism party CEO Yehuda Wald, Yanki Kvint, and Shiluvim Workshop CEO and founder and town co-founder Tamar Hakesher.
During the event, Smotrich met with Hadas Hershkovitz, widow of Yossi Hershkovitz, principal of Pelech High School who fell in the war. In his speech, Smotrich remembered Yossi, saying: “We are walking here in his path, and in the path of so many people who sacrificed their lives in the last two and a half years, so that we could live here in Gvaot, in Gush Etzion, in Kiryat Shmona, in Sderot and in the regions, and we could be here as a free people in its land.”