The small community of Harish, just south of the Galilee, may be about to blossom into a new hareidi-religious city after almost a decade of delays - but the move is facing major opposition from neighboring residents in both the Jewish and Arab sectors. The National Council for Planning and Building is set to give a green light on Tuesday for plans to expand the tiny Jewish community of 1,000. Area residents plan to demonstrate during the hearing in Jerusalem at which the plans are being considered, claiming the expansion will lead to another round of Arab violence such as that which poured forth during the Oslo War, also known as the Second Intifada. Originally, Harish was to expand into a small city of 30,000, but construction was frozen when the second intifada got underway in 2000. Three years ago the expansion plans were resurrected, this time in the form of development into a hareidi-religious city. The proposal was backed by two Shas party members, Interior Minister Eli Yishai and Housing Minister Ariel Atias. Growing Jewish Presence Among Arab Villages The village of Harish was founded in 1982 as a Nahal outpost. It became a kibbutz in 1985, then later transformed into a full-fledged community. It merged with another nearby village, Katzir, in 1993, and then later with a third, Mitzpeh Ilan, to form a local council near the Israeli-Arab city of Umm al-Fahm in the Wadi Ara region. At present the community is similar in size to many of its Jewish counterparts in Judea and Samaria, and for that matter, also similar in size to the many Israeli-Arab villages scattered around the country, both recognized and unrecognized. The master plan for Harish calls for the expansion of the community to eventually reach Highway 65 in the north (the Afulah-Hadera route), and Baqa-Jatt in the south, skirting close to two unrecognized Arab villages, Dar El-Hanoun and Um El-Qutuf. Officials in both, as well as in the Arab town of Kafr Qari, say they fear land from their communities will be appropriated for the expansion of Harish. The Supreme Court recently rejected an appeal by the Society for the Preservation of Nature in Israel opposing the development of the nearby community of Mitzpe Ilan, located near Dar El-Hanoun. 'This Will Ignite the Entire Country' Ilan Sadeh, head of the Menashe Regional Council, expressed concern that Harish would be expanded to accommodate 150,000 residents. He warned that it "would ignite not only the Wadi Ara area, but the entire country." Sadeh alleged that "both Jewish and Arab lands will have to be expropriated" in order to build the city. He also accused the government of employing a double standard, in that a similar request to expand the nearby Arab village of Barta'a was recently denied on the grounds that the lands near the council should remain "green." This same land, he said, will now go towards the expansion of Harish. Riad Kabha, former head of the Barta'a Local Council, said his real concern was specifically focused on the issue of living together with a growing hareidi religious population. "We are not opposed to Jews living in the wadi," he said, "but setting up a hareidi city whose residents are unfamiliar with our mentality could lead to another intifada." Sadeh agreed, suggesting that the hareidi-religious Jews go elsewhere. "There is the Negev and Galilee, so why build here? There are no Tombs of the Righteous or any other religious element that would provide any special reason for establishment of a hareidi city. I hope someone wakes up before it's too late."
