Gary Fitleberg, December 21, 2004

Ben Gurion’s dream was development of the Negev. Israel’s last frontier is a desolate desert. But Ben Gurion’s dream may become reality.

The Jewish National Fund, or known in Israel as Keren Kayemet L’Yisrael is actively planning the development of the Negev for the future. It is building a large network of water reservoirs to help harvest the rainfall in the dry desert where drought is a serious problem and water may be the cause of war.

In the Negev, the JNF and the Jewish community in Los Angeles are working together and have adopted the Hatseva Reservoir in the Arava in the Negev.

This reservoir will help in the development of the future of the Negev. Without water there can be no growth or infrastructure. Water will enable business and residential settlement especially in the area of agriculture. The Negev presently provides 60% of Israel’s agricultural exports which is a big boost to the economy.

Another important development for the future of the Negev is an initiative by the Ben Gurion University.

A new center at Israel’s Ben-Gurion University hopes to support local leaders in the Negev region. The Mandel Center for Leadership in the Negev is funded by money from the Mandel Foundation, which is based in Cleveland and has offices in Israel.

The development of the Negev will help alleviate the forced resettlement of Jews due to terrorism from their homes in the disputed territories of Gaza, Judea and Samaria (wrongfully called "West Bank" by most of the world today.

Gary Fitleberg is a Political Analyst specializing in International Relations with emphasis on Middle East affairs.

Copyright © 2004 Gary Fitleberg