Hotovely Seeks 800 New Homes for Har Bracha

In a shivah call to the family of Rabbi Itamar Ben-Gal, Hy”d, Deputy Foreign Minister Tzippy Hotovely said that she had filed a request with the Prime Minister’s Office and relevant ministries for the construction of 800 housing units in Har Bracha, the town where Rabbi Ben-Gal lived with his family.

Har Bracha, located in central Shomron overlooking Shechem, “has experienced a great loss,” Hotovely said. “Rabbi Ben-Gal was a unique individual. I sat here with his wife Miriam, with his parents. These are people who seek to promote life and do good for others. They do not seek revenge. As is part of our national mission, we want to expand this town. We want our enemies to know that their murderous attacks have a price, and that price is more life and building here.”

Earlier this week, the government approved legalizing Chavat Gilad, the unauthorized outpost where terror victim Rabbi Raziel Shevach, Hy”d, lived, paving the way for further construction and expansion of what had been an illegal outpost. As a legal settlement, expansion of Har Bracha should be less complicated, and would entail approving several building and expansion plans that have already been filed with authorities.

Shomron Council head Yossi Dagan said that expanding Har Bracha would be an appropriate response to the murder of Rabbi Ben-Gal. “We want the people in Shechem to know that Har Bracha has become a city in the wake of this murder. That is the price they pay for murder.” Har Bracha local authority chairperson Yoni Hayisraeli said that “the terrorists try to weaken us, but the opposite must come to pass – that we be strengthened. This murder just encourages us and strengthens us. Let our enemies know that from this crisis will emerge growth and construction, and Har Bracha will become a major city in Israel.”