Netanyahu mulling plan to build 800 settler homes in Har Bracha
“We must be strong in the face of terrorism that afflicts the entire world.”
By TOVAH LAZAROFFUpdated: FEBRUARY 12, 2018 14:50Relatives and friends carry the body of Itamar Ben Gal during his funeral in the Jewish settlement of Har Bracha in the West Bank, February 6, 2018.(photo credit: REUTERS/JIM HOLLANDER/POOL)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is weighing a plan to build 800 homes in the Har Bracha settlement, in the aftermath of last week’s terror attack that claimed the life of Rabbi Itamar Ben-Gal.Such a move would more than double the size of the community, which is now home to over 2,400 settlers.Ben-Gal’s family, which lives in Har Bracha, has called on the government to transform their community into a new Jewish city in Judea and Samaria. Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan has asked for the approval of the 800 homes as a first step in that direction.Netanyahu’s chief of staff Yoav Horowitz paid a shiva (week-long mourning period) condolence call to the Ben-Gal family on Thursday, and promised them that the Prime Minister’s Office was working to authorize the plan. Information regarding his visit was publicized only on Sunday.“I know Har Bracha’s master plan very well,” Horowitz said. “We will do everything to actualize it at the earliest possible moment. We are sitting and examining when we can expand this settlement. It is in front of our eyes and in front of the prime minister’s eyes all the time.”Horowitz added that the Transportation Ministry is also expanding roads in that area to handle a larger population, which is a necessary step for the community’s growth.Ben-Gal’s widow, Miriam, told Horowitz that, “building here is what will comfort us.” She also asked that Netanyahu come personally to pay a shiva call.Netanyahu’s wife, Sara, visited the family on Sunday.“We must be strong in the face of terrorism that afflicts the entire world,” she said.
