Beyond Green Line: Beitar Illit
Photo: AFP
Construction and Housing Minister Ariel Atias
Photo: Noam Moskowitz
Government resumes settlement construction
State unveils plan for construction of 7,000 affordable housing units nationwide; over 300 of units planned for Beitar Illit, Karnei Shomron
The Construction and Housing Ministry announced Monday issued a tender for the construction of 7,000 housing units nationwide, 294 of which are to be built in the West Bank settlement Beitar Illit, Ynet has learned.
Plans for construction beyond the Green Line often draw criticism from the United States and European nations.
- Receive Ynetnews updates
directly to your desktop
Housing Shortage
Delegation of lawmakers visits activists protesting housing prices at tent city on Tel Aviv's Rothschild Blvd. Hadash MK Khenin: State must intervene to protect young people
As per Construction and Housing Minister Ariel Atias's plan, the construction of 294 housing units in Beitar Illit will be offered to the bidder offering the lowest final sale price per unit. Lots allotted for the construction of 42 one-floor homes will be auctioned off in the settlement Karnei Shomron.
Contractors will be able to bid on the sites within 60 days.
Over a thousand of the units are to be built in northern Israeli towns, including Tiberias, Nahariya and Afula.
Tent protest gains traction
The announcement comes in the backdrop of the popular protest against escalating housing prices, which began in Tel Aviv last week and is gaining traction in other cities.
The Hebrew University's student union, in collaboration with the youth movements Awakening in Jerusalem and Yerushalmim, have reported plans to establish their own protest tent in the capital on Tuesday. Students in Beersheba joined the campaign as well, setting up camp on the street.
Meanwhile, some 20 students arrived at the Knesset Monday to hand out sleeping bags to MKs.
Two years ago, the Construction and Housing Ministry announced one of its biggest auctions for the construction of 9,000 housing units – mostly small apartments – with the purpose of increasing the number homes and reducing housing prices. But costs remained high, prompting citizens to protest.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged the crisis recently, and said that a solution will take one to three years to implement.
- Follow Ynetnews on Facebook
