The Negev is stuck in a traffic jam - and the problem is much bigger than Highway 40 | Eran Doron

Eran Doron, head of the Ramat Negev Regional Council, argues in an op-ed in Maariv that the traffic jams on Highway 40 symbolize a broader problem of neglecting the Negev. He calls on the next government to invest in settlement, transportation, and governance in the region, while emphasizing the potential for housing, energy, and employment.

Eran Doron, head of the Ramat Negev Regional Council, writes an op-ed in the Maariv newspaper. He opens by describing a traffic jam on Highway 40 between the IDF City base and the Talelim junction, noting that in the past such jams were rare but are now almost daily. The widening of the road to two lanes in each direction is described as a solution to the problem of the previous decade, "too little, too late." He then welcomes the decision to regularize the settlement of Azuz near the Egyptian border, but states that the state should lead the strengthening of settlement on the borders rather than just retroactively regularizing. He argues that settlement in the Negev is a solution to the high cost of housing, food security, energy needs, and creating opportunities for the younger generation, and mentions the potential for renewable energy and technological infrastructure. The article concludes with a call for decisions that will realize the historic opportunity of the Negev.