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Photo: Itamar Ben-David, Society for Protection of Nature in Israel

New haredi city in Negev approved

Kassif to house at least 50,000 residents in 10,000 apartments. Society for Protection of Nature opposes construction plan

The National Planning and Building Commission's committee for principle planning issues on Tuesday approved the establishment of an ultra-Orthodox city in Tel Arad in the southern Negev region.

 

The city of Kassif will be built on an area of 4,750 dunam (1,174 acres) and will include 10,000 housing units for at least 50,000 residents.

 

According to the National Planning and Building Commission, the land quota and the internal organization of the land purposes in the community are derived from the haredi lifestyle – relatively large apartments and a high allotment of land to educational and religious public institutions, as well as the existence of cultural and religious foundations and the need to allot typical commercial and employment areas for the population.

 

In addition, in order to establish the city and attract haredi population to southern Israel, there is a need for a municipal service center to meet the population's needs. The crowdedness is also fitted to the haredi population.

 

The Society for Protection of Nature in Israel, which voted against the city's construction, said in response that "developing new communities – including residential apartments and a new infrastructure of roads, electricity and a sewage and water system – damages the landscape, reduces the amount of open areas, and leads to the destruction of natural habitat and ecological damage.

 

"The Society for Protection of Nature in Israel shares the desire to reinforce the settlement, particularly in periphery areas, but this target should be achieved first and foremost by expanding existing communities.

 

"The communities located east of Beersheba are still far from exhausting their capacity and some are even far from a minimal size allowing the existence of a balanced and independent community. The suggested location of the city of Kassif, in the heart of the Arad valley, will harm the sequence of an open area of high quality in the Arad valley. The community's establishment will have significant implications on the open space due to the sensitive landscape and its proximity to the Tel Arad national park."

 


פרסום ראשון: 01.22.10, 14:45
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