Time for a reminder of the government’s own ‘Israel 2020’ plan:

“Its underlying planning principles include: concentrated and dense development, urban renewal, prevention of new settlements and increased density of existing ones, improved public transportation, and emphasis on green buffers, open spaces and the preservation of heritage and nature values.”

The meeting supposed to be an open meeting to the public – yet Shamai Assif, Director of the Planning Administration reeled off a name of officially listed people who were permitted to enter the deliberation room. Everyone else was barred from entering the room on the grounds there was no remaining seating. Democracy in Israel has officially reached a low point.

Stranded outside, the Gaza evacuees and SPNI employees like myself began a heated but interesting debate – one trying to convince the other of their point of view. What emerged for me were two interesting observations:

Gaza evacuees claimed their proposed community was a green community and that SPNI’s allegations are flawed. Yet – these people have neglected to investigate the idea of a green community, green living or even look at their own ecological footprint.

One ‘enlightened’ torchbearer of the Zionist enterprise informed me that this was not a discussion about the environment but about ‘values – real Jewish values’ of establishing communities and farming the land.

I don’t think these people really get it.

If these people were real Zionists – which they are not (but thats a political debate for another blog) and cared so much about the Land of Israel – they would be promoting the preservation of Lachish as wilderness and not the location for a township.