‘Response to terrorism’: New Israeli community to be established near Gaza border

“The most important thing in order to give an answer to terrorism is give a proper response, and the second thing is strengthen settlement – and this is what we are doing now,” Netanyahu stated.

By World Israel News Staff

At the weekly Sunday morning Cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Construction and Housing Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf announced the government’s decision to establish a new community in southern Israel.

The Cabinet approved the proposal to build the new settlement of roughly 500 religious and secular families, temporarily named Hanun, adjacent to the Gaza Strip.

“The most important thing in order to give an answer to terrorism is give a proper response, and the second thing is strengthen settlement – and this is what we are doing now,” the prime minister stated.

“We decided on the establishment of the community of Hanun during our previous government, and today we are completing its establishment by budgeting for the planning of the community. We will thereby put the establishment of the community into action,” he said.

“Setting up the community is additional testimony to the resilience of the area adjacent to the Gaza Strip and to the strength of the State of Israel against all threats, including any trickle to which we respond with full force.

“We see people taking about their decisions to come and move to the area adjacent to the Gaza Strip and establish new communities in the area. We are proud to build up the land of Israel and we are proud to strengthen settlement in all of its areas.”

“This is a joyous day for me and for all citizens of Israel,” Goldknopf added.

“Establishing a new community is of great national importance especially at this time, and especially in the area adjacent to the Gaza Strip. Upon taking office, I set as my top goal to continue building, developing and strengthening settlement.”

Furthermore, “this community will give strength especially to the prime minister. The light of setting up the community will dispel the darkness that some are now trying to bring on the people of Israel.

“The new community is expected to provide an answer to demand for settlement in the area and will strengthen our southern border with the Gaza Strip. This construction is part of the building up of the land of Israel and thus joins to the action of the Almighty in building Jerusalem.”

According to the decision that was approved, the Construction and Housing Ministry will begin planning the new community, temporarily named ‘Hanun’, pursuant to the approval and recommendation of the National Planning and Building Council that was given approximately one year ago.

The establishment of the new community is keeping with the government’s policy to promote development of the periphery and strengthen settlement in the periphery, the Negev, the Galilee and the area adjacent to the Gaza Strip.

In recent years, while demand for residential units in communities in the area adjacent to the Gaza Strip has increased, there has been difficulty in meeting this demand in existing communities due to the latter being mainly agricultural communities. Establishing a new community is expected to provide a response to this need.

Hanun will be set up as a mixed community of approximately 500 religious and secular families.