The government has approved a plan for the economic and social development of Druze communities on the Golan Heights and the Druze and Circassian communities in the Galilee and Carmel regions for 2025-2029.
The five-year plan will have a budget of NIS 3.9 billion and will include an additional budget of NIS 2.6b., the prime minister and finance minister’s offices announced in a joint statement.
The plan will see a subsidized development cost in tending land for security personnel and rehabilitating and developing infrastructure, public spaces, public institutions in the towns, and more.
Among its key provisions is that NIS 650 million will be allocated for urban planning and housing solutions. This includes establishing a dedicated planning committee for Druze and Circassian localities to accelerate detailed planning. A new framework for electricity connections will also be implemented, and subsidies will be provided for new housing projects, benefiting discharged soldiers and young couples.
Additionally, over NIS 1b. will be spent on improving municipal services, increasing local government budgets, improving public service efficiency, and developing independent revenue streams through economic initiatives.
'Now it's time to make it happen'
"We have a deep commitment to our brothers in the Druze community. This commitment extends not only to the Druze in Israel but also to those in the broader region, particularly in Syria," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement. "These efforts reflect the strength of the bond between us and the Druze community. They fight alongside us, shoulder to shoulder; we share a unique alliance—what we call a 'blood pact.' But I say, it’s not just a blood pact—it’s also a pact of life."
Netanyahu said that the nearly 4 billion shekel budget will allow for subsidized housing for released soldiers and young couples. "We are strengthening local authorities and establishing a planning committee, something the community has requested for a long time- now it's time to make it happen."
Netanyahu then thanked Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and other government ministers who were involved, as well as Druze community leaders.
"The deep bond between the State of Israel and the Druze and Circassian communities is not just a blood pact, but a pact of life, and we are committed to it through action," Smotrich said in his statement. "Today, we approved a comprehensive five-year plan with an unprecedented budget of nearly 4 billion shekels, which will provide extensive and meaningful support for the economic and social development of Druze and Circassian communities in the Galilee, Carmel, and Golan Heights."