Netanyahu's Plan to Develop Golan Heights Is Actually an Amendment to a Decision by the Bennett Gov't - Israel News - Haaretz.com
The Prime Minister's Office announced on Sunday that "the prime minister's plan for encouraging demographic growth in the Golan [Heights] and the town of Katzrin had been approved."
The plan was not on the agenda of the cabinet's weekly meeting and was hastily put together in the last few days, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, "in the wake of the war and the opening of a new front in Syria, with the intent of doubling the population of the Golan."
However, in practice, the cabinet only made some small amendments to a previous decision by the Bennett government. According to a senior official familiar with the move, the original plan formulated by the Bennett government is still in effect.
The decision, officially called "Resolution 864," was approved three years ago. It allocated 1 billion shekels ($280 million) for the development of the Golan Heights, and included the establishment of new communities, temporary neighborhoods, advertising and funds for taking in new residents.
"The plan we are approving today comes many years too late," said Prime Minister Naftali Bennett at a cabinet meeting in December 2021, "The Golan Heights could be a wonderful option for people preferring clean air, space and a good quality of life."
Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett at a government meeting, in 2022.Credit: Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90
According to the official, the government in effect approved an amendment to the earlier decision, amounting to an addition of a little over 40 million shekels. "The amendment was necessary since the demographic forecast has changed during the course of the war, and it was necessary to make adjustments," he said.
However, in January, following the great expenses incurred by the war, the present government decided to slash the budget of Resolution 864 by 15 percent, cutting it to 850 million shekels. Even after the added funds approved on Sunday, the plan's budget stands at 890 million shekels, less than what was allocated by the Bennett government.
According to the plan presented by Netanyahu, three million shekels from the added budget will be allocated for rehabilitation of open areas that were damaged by the war. Two million shekels will be allocated for renovating and re-equipping existing public buildings; four million shekels will go to the establishment of a student village; and four million shekels will go to more energy-efficient projects, electricity-based transportation and solar panels. An additional five million shekels will be invested in developing the organizational structure of the Golan Regional Council, so that it can meet the government's goals.
The cabinet also decided to leave parts of Bennett's plan in place and move some of them into 2026, "in order to make implementation more feasible, with greater likelihood of meeting the plan's goals." The budgets that were approved by the Bennett government and on Sunday by the Netanyahu government only apply to Jewish communities in the Golan Heights. Druze communities receive assistance through another plan, designated for the Druze population in the area.
Seen in the Druze town of Majdal Shams, in the Golan Heights, in 2023.Credit: Gil Eliyahu
A source familiar with the plan's details told Haaretz that over 2022 and 2023, 200 million shekels of the budget were invested in the regional council, with 1,100 new families joining existing communities. The source added that on October 6, 2023, people marked the 50-year anniversary of the Yom Kippur War. "Two weeks later, a cabinet meeting was scheduled to be held in the Golan to approve a further plan for two new communities, each one with 1,400 families," the source said.
He noted that this plan had been approved by the Bennett government, and was the first phase in the process, which required additional future approvals, such as by the National Planning and Building Council and by another subcommittee. A second decision on a final approval was expected later. The decision now taken by the Netanyahu government does not advance the establishment of the new communities but is a reiteration of the first decision taken by the previous government. "The current decision with the 40 million shekels is nice, but what about the final approval?" wondered the source.
People swim in a reservoir in the Golan Heights, last month.Credit: Gil Eliyahu
The Golan Regional Council welcomed the additional budget, noting that "the 40 million shekels that were approved will encourage the establishment of a students' village and provide funds for building public buildings in existing communities, for the planning of an advanced waste facility and the plan for developing the organizational structure of the regional council, in order to prepare for the expected demographic growth."
According to council head Uri Kellner, "the government's approval for an added budget is good news for the development of the Golan. This decision bolsters the basis for demographic growth in the Golan and in Katzrin. The amendment enables progress with an emphasis on planning and building housing units, supporting infrastructure and a bolstering of the local economy and the improvement of the quality of life in the area."