Alongside the restoration of the ruins: New residential neighborhood approved in Kibbutz Be'eri

For the first time, the National Council for Planning and Building has unanimously approved an order to establish a new residential neighborhood in Kibbutz Be'eri. This is the first order to be approved as part of the restoration of border communities affected on October 7. 

In the terror attack on October 7, approximately 125 housing units were damaged in the kibbutz. Currently, the Be'eri community is mostly housed in a hotel at the Dead Sea, and is expected to soon move to a temporary neighborhood in Hatzerim. The order was advanced following a request from the head of the Tkumah Directorate to the chair of the National Council, seeking to expedite the restoration of the settlement within a short timeframe. 

The order will allow the construction of a new expansion neighborhood within the kibbutz and the restoration of 12 buildings that were destroyed on October 7. The construction will take place while Be'eri residents live in the temporary neighborhood in Hatzerim. These two projects will enable residents to return home and the kibbutz to thrive once again. 

The new construction in the kibbutz will be in the "HaPardes" neighborhood located to the southeast, continuing the existing construction, and will include 140 housing units. In the "Ashlim" neighborhood, located in the heart of the kibbutz, 12 housing units will be built in 6 semi-detached buildings, replacing the buildings destroyed on October 7. Additionally, exemptions from plans and permits will be granted to establish supportive infrastructure for the new housing complexes.

The Planning Administration worked to change legislation that would allow the restoration of the kibbutz within short timeframes. This was achieved through Amendment 150 to the Planning and Building Law in November 2023, which, among other things, added Section 266W.

This section, enacted as a temporary provision for a year, grants the Minister of the Interior the authority to determine, after consultation with the National Council, an exemption from plans and permits for the work and uses required to establish complexes for residents evacuated from their homes due to the special security situation, so that housing complexes can be established for them as quickly as possible. 

According to the order, the work will be carried out by a body acting on behalf of the state after being authorized to do so by a government decision. In this context, it was reported that after the order's approval, an application will be submitted to authorize the cooperative association of Kibbutz Be'eri as a body acting on behalf of the state for the purpose of implementing this order.

"By summer 2026, the return of Be'eri members to the kibbutz will be possible."

"The Planning Administration works in cooperation with the communities in the Gaza border settlements and will quickly advance plans to restore the settlements that were damaged on October 7 so that the communities can return to their homes soon," Rafi Elmaliach, CEO of the Planning Administration, said. "A similar plan will be promoted later in Kibbutz Kfar Aza." 

Tomer Golan, of the Kibbutz Be'eri economic center, said: "We are building these neighborhoods to enable the return of Be'eri members to the kibbutz by summer 2026. In the 'Ashlim' neighborhood, we have already demolished the damaged houses in preparation for their reconstruction, and in the coming weeks, we will begin establishing the infrastructure."