Transportation Minister and Labor party head Meirav Michaeli is asserting that "for too many years, the State of Israel has been the Judea and Samaria state. The time has come for it to go back to being the Negev and Galilee state."
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Speaking at a conference in the Galilee on Thursday, Michaeli said, "We will make an immense effort to bridge the infrastructure gap between Arab municipalities and those in the rest of the country. Together with the Social Equality Ministry, around 2 billion shekels (around $621 million) will be invested in infrastructure in Arab municipalities over the coming year. In addition, there is a plan, led by Ayalon Highways Ltd., that is beginning to be executed, within the framework of which roads will be paved inside Arab municipalities."
Commenting on infrastructure in the country's north, she said: "We realized that as soon as a road is built, it quickly becomes congested. For this reason, public transportation must be prioritized and that is why the region's light rail will come before the extension of Highway 6, which will be advanced later on."
Michaeli said her ministry would double the number of slow service buses in operation as well as bus service in the Galilee Region and the North.
"Likewise, there are local authorities where there are no sidewalks to walk on, that's unacceptable," she said. "We will create a standard so that every road that is paved, every station that is set up will come with the appropriate connectivity – a bicycle path, sidewalks, and infrastructure for light commercial vehicles."
Likud MK Fateen Mulla criticized Michaeli for her remarks, saying: "I have to correct you. The State of Israel is both [the state] of the Galilee and of Judea and Samaria."
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