Last update - 00:00 04/02/2008
Government moves to recognize Jewish town in Wadi Ara region
By Zafrir Rinat, Haaretz Correspondent
The government decided Sunday to formally recognize a controversial 35-family Jewish town in the largely Arab Wadi Ara region; environmentalists and two cabinet ministers are against the move.
Environment Minister Gideon Ezra and the Society for the Protection of Nature (SPNI) oppose the existence of Ein Iron, which was unofficially established by religious Zionist families three years ago, saying it was built on protected land with unique environmental attributes.
"The construction of a new town is expensive and will harm open land targeted for preservation," Ezra told the cabinet Sunday. He said the residents could expand the neighboring town of Katzir instead. Recent government policy has given preference to the growth of existing towns rather than the creation of new ones.
The High Court of Justice is due to hold a hearing this week on a petition filed by SPNI against Ein Iron. The attorney general has already said the town must be evacuated if it does not receive official approval. In anticipation of the hearing, the Prime Minister's Office and Agriculture Minister Shalom Simhon recommended that the government give the town its official backing. Some ministers argued that if the Jewish families moved out, the town would turn into an Arab village.
The government decision, which was also opposed by Science, Culture and Sports Minister Ghaleb Majadele, requires the approval of the various planning committees before it can go into effect.
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