The cabinet on Sunday approved a plan by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to allocate an unprecedented 500 million shekels [$161 million] assistance package for Beersheba and other Negev communities.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
The initiative, formulated by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman, aims to strengthen the communities of the Negev in the framework of the move of IDF bases to the south, a statement by the Prime Minister's Office said.
While the move of and military's vast training and headquarters compound from central Israel to the Negev area has been delayed, the ministers decided nonetheless to take a series of steps to bolster the area's socioeconomic standing.
"Today [Sunday], we are presenting a decision on significant assistance to Beersheba and the communities of the Negev," Bennett told the ministers.
"We will invest almost NIS 500 million in education, employment, reducing wage gaps, planning a public hospital, strengthening technology and innovation, developing transportation and creating rapid transportation from the center of the country to the south, infrastructures and the list is still long.
"I am pleased by this important decision, which expresses the policy of the government. We have spoken about investing in the Negev and here it is happening on the ground. As Ben-Gurion said, 'The people of Israel will be tested in the Negev.'"
Gantz added that the plan "expresses the significant integration between the IDF and Israeli society, and the need to strengthen national infrastructure and national needs through the defense establishment and all civilian establishments.
"I congratulate and thank the many government ministries that have joined in this national mission. At the same time, we will continue to strengthen the south and the north by various means and, within a few years, we will bring about a situation in which a third of those serving in technological units will all be from the social and geographical periphery."
Addressing the national importance of the initiative, Lieberman noted, "Developing the Negev is a top priority and a significant milestone for the government, which will, first and foremost, lead to the development of the economy and employment in the region.
"The economic growth of the Negev, through national projects that include infrastructure development, education and the IDF, will lead to the prosperity of the entire country and positive population growth of the area while also improving its image. We will continue to work together to strengthen the Negev and invest in order to reduce the gaps between the periphery and the center."
The initiative will see the construction of new public hospital in the Negev, and the creation of a military-academic-industrial ecosystem.
The latter will include expanding Ben-Gurion University with emphasis on high-tech, cyber and computer sciences; fostering joint research and development projects between the university, Soroka Medical Center and IDF technological units; and formulating various plans seeking to integrate the residents of the south in the regional development process.
The government further plans to spend hundreds of millions of shekels to encourage positive migration to the south, through the development of the Beersheba metropolitan area, offering housing incentives, subsidizing ground development, and upgrading and expanding the transportation infrastructure in the south.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
