On Tuesday, Israel’s National Council for Building and Planning authorised an initiative for a new Druze town to be developed near Tiberias in the north of Israel.
The new town will comprise 400 apartments in the Naftaly Estate area, which is south of the Karnei Hittin National Park and north of the Golani industrial zone and Route 77. It will be able to expand gradually in the future.
The initiative, spearheaded by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, will be the first new Druze town to be built since Israel declared independence in 1948.
In a statement, the Prime Minister said: “For the first time since the founding of the state a new Druze town will be established. I view the building of this new town as a very important initiative that will bring progress to the Druze sector”.
There are currently 18 Druze towns in Israel – four in the Golan and 14 in the Galilee.
