Madam Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Honorable Minister for the Development of the Negev and the Galilee and Minister of Immigrant Absorption,
Honorable Mayor of Dimona,
Honorable Mayors,
My Friend David Mirage, under whose auspices this meeting takes place,
My Friends, Knesset Members Yoel Hasson and Shai Hermesh,
Director-General of the Prime Minister's Office,
Director-General of the Ministry for the Development of the Negev and the Galilee, Orly Yehezkel,
My Friend, Aharon Yadlin,
My Friend, Shmuel Rifman, Chairman of the Center of Regional Councils,
Dear Friends,
For many years, Aharon Yadlin was one of the leading figures in Israeli public life. In recent years, he is the proud father of the IDF Chief of Intelligence, Major General Amos Yadlin, one of the IDF's most courageous officers and venerated fighters, and I am proud to be a friend of both of them.
I identify with every word said by the Foreign Minister and Acting Prime Minister. Everything she said is one hundred percent accurate, and we are in complete agreement on this issue. If you will allow me, I will use this opportunity to say a word about the political issue currently on the agenda. I will tell you momentarily what we are doing and what we intend to do about it. Let there be no misunderstanding. We continue to preserve Israel's national agenda, and there are two issues on top of this national agenda – first and foremost the security issue, and particularly security in the south, and this is something that we cannot abandon for one minute, and there is a lot to be done. None of us, not one of us, is eager to have a military confrontation in the south, but let it be clear – not one of us will be deterred by the need to respond harshly, should the calm we agreed on fail to withstand the test of time. We agreed to a calm on the basis of very clear parameters of what is permitted, what we can accept, what does not pose a threat, not now and not in the future, to the security of the residents of the south, what does not constitute a military build-up or terrorist activity and does not include the firing of Qassam rockets and mortar shells. Some people say that the transition from the continuous barrage to complete calm will take a few days and cannot be fully enforced in one day, two days or even a week. We have shown patience, we are willing to show patience, but let no one interpret this patience as weakness because it does not constitute even a smidgen of weakness. We are in favor of real calm. If it takes place, that will be good. If not, we will know how to respond with full force, in a way that will guarantee complete security for the residents of the south.
At the same time, we will continue the political negotiations with the Palestinians. The Minister of Foreign Affairs is working on this day and night, in Israel and abroad, and I believe she will agree with what I say. The status of the negotiations today is different than what it was several months ago when we started it. There is progress. Is this progress enough to achieve an agreement? No one said so. Should the parties not make an additional effort? Do the outside constraints not influence the process? Many things influence it. We are making an effort, and I often meet, and will soon meet again, with Abu-Mazen.
The indirect meetings with the Syrians continue and will continue, until they ripen into direct negotiations between Israel and Syria, in the hope that we can achieve comprehensive peace with Syria, while preserving Israel's security. This is our goal.
Having said that, let me say a few words about the Negev.
First of all, Meir, I thank you for hosting this event. I particularly thank my friend and partner, Yaakov Edri, Minister for the Development of the Negev and the Galilee, for the initiative to hold this conference, which I believe is one of the most important conferences reflecting the national agenda of the State of Israel. One cannot speak today about the development of the Negev without mentioning the historic vision of David Ben-Gurion, who did not settle for general statements, but actually arrived in the Negev in the 50's and took up residence in the Negev, expressing what he believed to be the real priority for the future of the State of Israel – the development of the southern part of the country. I think that the fact that he had the wisdom to do it over fifty years ago is proof of the greatness and the remarkable historic vision which characterized David Ben-Gurion. And you are hearing this from one who was educated on the Jabotinsky Doctrine.
A little over a year and a half ago, I stood before you at the previous Negev Conference in Beer-Sheva, and presented the plans formulated by the Government – plans it intends to carry out in the coming years. I will go back to the 17 billion. I did not forget, we did not forget. It is also an inseparable part of the resolution which the Foreign Minister referred to. It is true that in ten-year perennial plans, there are sometimes changes in priorities along the way, and let's not forget that we began this plan at the time when the Second Lebanon War broke out, necessitating a shift in the priorities regarding the national expenditure, a shift which affected many things, including the Negev. Nevertheless, gentlemen, I will soon tell you what we promised, what we have done and also what we intend to do. It certainly shows that there is momentum and it shows that the Negev takes a very high priority in the State of Israel's national plans.
I spoke then, a year and a half ago, about the transfer of IDF camps to the Negev. We spoke about the initiative to establish a Science Park in Beer-Sheva. We spoke about the vital ecological solutions in Ramat-Hovav, the industrial zone which provides thousands of workplaces and exports goods worth over two billion dollars annually, an extremely significant addition to the infrastructure of Israel's economic stability. I spoke then about the paving of Road 6 and the continued construction of Road 6 southward. I believe that another portion of the road, shortening the trip from Beer-Sheva to the center of the country by 12 minutes, was inaugurated today, but I think that it will be equally correct to say that it shortens the trip from the center of the country to Beer-Sheva and brings the center closer to what will be the center of the country in the future, because in the future, the center of the country will be in this area. I have no doubt about it.
I want to mention to you some of the things that were carried out on ground. This morning I participated in the inauguration of Intel's second plant in Kiryat-Gat, with an investment of 3.5 billion dollars, and with over 2,200 new work places. 60% of these 2,200 new Intel workers come from the south part of the country, south of Kiryat-Gat, from places adjacent to this area and the area of Beer-Sheva and the south. So while it is true that Kiryat Gat is the northern border of the southern part of the country, one cannot deny the fact that this is still a strategic investment in the southern part of the State of Israel, that its major manpower infrastructure and work force comes from the south, and that it provides employment, environment and infrastructure for the establishment of industrial zones and new industrial plants. Intel's first plant in Kiryat-Gat was a springboard for the entire industrial expansion in this area, and the second one will increase it even further. I remind you that just the establishment of Intel's two plants in Kiryat-Gat was on an overall investment of over 6 billion dollars. These plants, with the 4,000 people working there, are an incredible source of employment and income for the State of Israel. The State of Israel is a partner because it invested a billion dollars in these plants.
Next month, the transfer of Air Force Base 27 from Lod to the Air Force Base in Nevatim will be completed. In other words, the transfer of the IDF camps to the south is not merely a slogan, it is not just general statements, but rather a tangible reality, which already takes place on the ground, even before the establishment of the "Bahadim City". It is the actual transfer of Air Force Base 27 from the center to the Air Force Base in Nevatim, including the transfer of families and all the daily activity involved in it. The IDF main Computers & Communications Unit operating at the center is also preparing to move to the Science Park, the cornerstone of which I helped to lay last November in Beer-Sheva. By the way, the Government of Israel is the primary investor in the Science Park established near the University of Beer-Sheva, with an investment of some 100 million dollars. This is a decision I made when I was Minister of Industry and Trade over three years ago. I mention this fact because I want to emphasize that when you begin to calculate 17 billion NIS divided into ten years of annual budgets, you begin to calculate the investment involved in the transfer of Air Force Base 27 and the establishment of the Science Park, which includes the construction of transportation and other infrastructures, and then you begin to get close to the amounts we spoke about, and we are just at the beginning. I am not saying this to minimize the need, but to say that we are attentive to this need and we will continue to be attentive to it and we will not settle for what we have done so far. Also with regard to the Housing Administration, we intend, of course, to continue, at full speed, with the establishment of the "Bahadim City" in the south, and I believe, and it is important, that a solution to the problem of Ramat Hovav, on the basis of the strictest standards of environmental protection, will facilitate the establishment of the "Bahadim City" in the south, without some of the fears expressed by various parties who always felt more comfortable staying in the center of the country.
I want to tell you that as a result of the steps we began taking 4 years ago, in a joint cooperation of my office, the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the Ministry for the Development of the Negev and the Galilee and the Minister of Industry, Trade and Labor, which was responsible for the issue of the industrial zone, environmental quality in the Ramat Hovav area now exceeds the European standards. In other words, there is no longer a limitation or a difficulty which stands in the way of realizing the "Bahadim City" plan, and I know that the Ministry of Defense is working on it at full speed and energy, and I believe that the Housing Administration is quite busy with marketing housing units in Omer, Lehavim, Meitar, Dimona, Beer-Sheva and other places in the south for people who can potentially make the move from military bases in the center of the country to bases in the south. I mentioned that we laid the cornerstone for the Science Park six months ago and we are already close to completing the groundwork, and in exactly one year, we will witness the first structure of the IDF Computers & Communications Unit being established on the ground. I believe this is part of the progress we are talking about.
The main problem with developing the Negev, or the main challenge of developing the Negev, is the need to create workplaces. We are certainly prepared for it, we intend to invest in it and we were attentive to appeals by the mayors in this regard. You can say that I am particularly responsive, and it has not always made my life easier to be responsive to appeals by mayors who asked me to assist in the establishment of industrial plants in the south, including in this city. One cannot talk about the creation of work places and the development of the Negev without being attentive to environmental needs. I mentioned it in the context of Ramat Hovav, but it is true also in relation to other areas. We must, in the process of development, give serious attention to environmental needs, and remember that the Negev is a potential base for urban development as well, and I will say a word about the nucleus of youngsters whose transition into the residential areas in the south we are encouraging.
I am talking about industrial development, I am talking about the development of an economic and physical infrastructure that can serve the people whose transition to the southern areas we seek to encourage, so that they can enjoy a high standard of living, and we must take special care to protect the environment as an inseparable part of this process. With regard to transportation infrastructure, I know that the question of the southern train, the Ashkelon-Beer-Sheva train, angers many residents in the south. The entire perennial plan for the development of transportation in general, and in the southern part in particular, will be submitted for renewed discussion, and I promise you that special attention will be given to the issue of the Ashkelon-Beer-Sheva train. We must double the length of the tracks, the railway tracks to Beer-Sheva, and shorten the distance between Tel Aviv and Beer-Sheva even more by making the train faster. And we will complete Road 6 so that we can truly achieve a shorter distance between the center and south of the country.
In this context, one must also address the changes in the level of violence and quality of life in these areas compared to the situation in the past. I must say a word of praise about the Israel Police. I know that there is nothing more popular than to attack the police and we often complain about the police activity in relation to preserving the quality of life and personal safety of each and every citizen in their area of residence, near their homes, etc. I believe that in this area, in the Beer-Sheva and also the Dimona area, there has been very impressive and encouraging improvement over the past two years, and I want to thank the Israel Police for that.
I want to say a word to the Bedouin population, whose representatives, I hope, are here. I heard from the Foreign Minister that she visited Rahat today. The Mayor of Rahat is one of the most important leaders in the south, and we value and respect him. When I arrived in this area via helicopter, I could see the entire infrastructure development, which is close to completion, for the construction of 2,200 additional housing units in Rahat, with lands allocated by the Israel Lands Authority – a development made through budgets from the Israeli Government and the Ministry of Construction & Housing, in order to allow the Bedouin residents of the south a high quality of living, in areas that constitute an inseparable part of the Bedouin places of residence in the southern part of the country. This is part of the effort we are making, but we are doing more to solve the problems of the Bedouin population, as you know full well. We established a committee, headed by Supreme Court Justice (Ret.) Eliezer Goldberg, to resolve the issue of Bedouin settlement in the Negev and address the issue of compensation in the allocation of alternative lands, as well as the enforcement of these arrangements and a timetable for their implementation, and I expect the committee to submit its recommendations soon. This is not a simple thing. We are not willing to accept illegal seizures of land, but we will not allow the eviction of the Bedouins without a settlement that will respect their needs, address their quality of living and enable them to live in areas slated for habitation by these populations, in accordance with their needs, while making certain that the law is enforced and illegal land seizures are prevented.
Furthermore, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Labor, at the time when I was heading it, in conjunction with the Technological Institute and the Technological College in Beer-Sheva, helped to open training courses for Bedouin engineers. We view the Bedouin population as an inseparable part of the State of Israel and the southern part of the country. We want the Bedouin population to enjoy a lifestyle that provides the opportunities and possibilities offered by modernity. There is no justification for the fact that people continue to live in inappropriate conditions and pursue occupations which do not coincide with the possibilities and opportunities that a modern, developed, urban, 21st century society can offer. We can help the Bedouins and offer them ways to advance, and we will do it.
Part of the effort we are making to safeguard the south, as you know, is a huge investment in school protection. We are building 14 new schools in the areas surrounding Gaza, the most advanced, protected, modern and sophisticated buildings ever established at any educational institute anywhere, not only in Israel, but in the world at large. This is part of the effort we are making to protect, in the first stage, a strip of five kilometers from the border, simultaneously with providing solutions, at an unprecedented scope and investment. The State of Israel invested billions of shekels in recent years in this area, as part of the effort to address the plight of the residents of the south, particularly those living in the Gaza-envelope areas. I am unwilling and unable to make an accurate calculation at this minute regarding the 1.7 billion shekels a year, over a period of ten years, or the 17 billion shekels. I believe that the residents of the Negev and the southern part of the country are starting to feel that we are approaching them not only with slogans, but with action, not only with statements, but with a real allocation of resources, intended to truly address the problems you are forced to contend with.
I want to mention something that to me may be the main thing. A week ago, I was visited by representatives of Heads of Authorities from the Negev, headed by my dearest friend, Chairman of the Center of Regional Councils, Shmulik Rifman, together with Shai Hermesh and other council heads, who came to talk to me about the development of the Negev. Representatives of the Or Association and other groups of youngsters seeking to settle in the Negev also arrived. I will tell you something. I do not want to go into politics at this time. This is neither the time, nor the place. This is also not the issue. But when I saw the spark in the eyes of these youngsters, it reminded me of the spark in the eyes of other youngsters I saw 30 or 35 years ago. I do not want to make comparisons, I am simply saying that I saw the spark in their eyes when they talked about settling in the Negev, taking up residence in the Negev, building a home in the Negev. I tell you, we have a wonderful youth, who want to build this country, and our job is to supply the means for them to settle in the Negev and the Arava. I visited the Arava, I saw the communities of the Arava, I saw the agriculture developed in the Arava, I saw how 3,000 people produce over one billion shekels a year from agricultural products that are of the highest quality and are among the most expensive, productive and attractive products in the entire world. I was proud of those communities.
I tell you, gentlemen, we have a lot to do, we have chances, we have opportunities, we can channel our national energies in ways that will strengthen the State of Israel, help build it, consolidate it and advance it economically and socially. What was once the periphery will become the center of the country, and we must invest our resources in nurturing this ability to transform the periphery into a center with a high quality of living, development, prosperity, progress and hope for the entire State of Israel. I promise you that I will come next year, I will come next year not to make promises about what I will do the year after that, but to tell you what we have done in this coming year, the year that is still ahead of us.
Thank you very much.