Israel approves $9 million plan for hotel development in Judea and Samaria

The ministry said a lack of land zoned for hotel development has been one of the main obstacles to tourism development in Judea and Samaria.

By JNS

The Israeli Cabinet on Sunday approved a 27 million shekel (about $9 million) plan to boost hotel development in Judea and Samaria by removing planning obstacles and providing construction grants, the Tourism Ministry said.

The program, led by Tourism Minister Haim Katz, includes 7 million shekels (≈$2.3 million) to advance the statutory planning of projects between 2026 and 2030, alongside 20 million shekels (≈$6.7 million) in grants to support the construction, expansion and conversion of hotel accommodations.

Katz said his initiative seeks to unlock the tourism potential of the Jewish state’s biblical heartland.

“For the first time, we will lead a comprehensive move that combines planning, infrastructure development, the creation of land zoned for hotels and a dedicated track to encourage construction,” the minister said in a statement.

“This will remove barriers, provide certainty for developers and lay the foundation to increase the supply of hotel rooms, attract tourists and strengthen the local economy.”

The ministry said a lack of land zoned for hotel development has been one of the main obstacles to tourism development in Judea and Samaria.

Under the plan, the Tourism Ministry will prepare statutory plans for hotel projects and identify sites that can be developed or marketed for hotel construction.

The ministry said only about 115 million shekels (≈$38 million) had been invested in Judea and Samaria tourism over the past decade, compared with more than 2 billion shekels (≈$666 million) elsewhere in the country.

It said the initiative aims to increase the number of hotel rooms, encourage overnight stays rather than day trips and boost the local economy.

The plan follows a separate government decision in May approving a 50 million shekel (≈$16.7 million) program to develop tourism infrastructure in Judea and Samaria.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has led an unprecedented drive to expand Israel’s control of Judea and Samaria, having approved tens of thousands of homes and dozens of new communities in the past three-and-a-half years.