Meir Sheetrit
צילום: דודי ועקנין
Interior minister: Freeze development in central Israel
Meir Sheetrit says residents of central Israel should move to Galilee and the Negev, stop building of ‘Tel Aviv state’
Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit has called for a high-level meeting to discuss freezing real-estate development in central Israel.
“The residents of central Israel should move to the Galilee and Negev regions and stop the building of the ‘Tel Aviv state’,” the minister told Yedioth Ahronot on Wednesday.
Sheetrit said he instructed ministry officials to stop granting permits for the conversion of agricultural lands into residential complexes.
“We will develop the Negev and the Galilee in such a way that the people of central Israel will have an incentive to leave for a better life in the periphery,” he said.
“Aerial photos show that the green areas in Israel are gradually disappearing.”
According to Interior Ministry statistics, the number of people residing in central Israel has grown by 200,000 over the past five years and now stands at 2.5 million.
“This trend cannot continue,” said Dr Shuki Amrani, director of the ministry’s central district.
