Judea and Samaria won’t be part of Israel, not worth investing in, says Labor leader

“It’s a shame to invest in a place that, at the end of the day, won’t be part of Israel,” says Transportation Minister Merav Michaeli.

By David Hellerman, World Israel News

There’s no point to investing in Judea and Samaria because they “won’t be part of Israel,” Transportation Minister Merav Michaeli told an audience on Channel 12 Saturday night.

She was responding to a question from Menashe Shemesh of Tel Aviv who asked why she froze transportation projects over the Green Line.

Michaeli stressed she did not freeze any plans in Judea and Samaria, but neither did she initiate any new ones. She then said, “It’s a shame to invest in a place that, at the end of the day, won’t be part of Israel.”

Shemesh replied that “right now, there are residents there. Israeli residents like you and me, who want to receive service like every other Israeli citizen receives – and there is no reason to deprive them.”

Shlomo Ne’eman, head of both the Yesha Council and the Gush Etzion Regional Council, slammed Michaeli’s comments.

Michaeli “is promoting an extreme and dangerous agenda” in which it’s acceptable to have transportation on the Sabbath but pointless to provide for residents of Judea and Samaria, Ne’eman said.

The Transportation Minister, Ne’eman added, halted what he said was critical work on key traffic arteries serving both Israelis and Palestinians.

The Yesha Council is the umbrella organization of Jewish municipal councils in the Judea and Samaria.

Israel is holding its fifth election in four years on November 1. Michaeli’s Labor party is competing with Meretz for left-wing votes.