Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Oded Forer met with the heads of the Yesha (Judea and Samaria) Council on Thursday at the Agriculture Ministry headquarters in Beit Dagan.
The meeting addressed the needs of the regional councils in Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley that have to do with the urban development and extensive agriculture in the region.
At the meeting, the Yesha heads thanked Forer for his actions supporting Israeli settlements in Judea and Samaria, and shared ideas on how to further develop the area.
In addition, the Yesha heads invited the minister to a tour in the region in order to learn more about the core issues at hand.
"I was delighted to meet my friend David Alhayani, head of the Yesha Council, and the heads of the regional councils," Forer said. "We are working fervently to develop towns all over the country, and this includes Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley. I hope that I will soon be able to visit and witness the development of this important area," he added.
Yesha head Alhayani said, "I would like to thank the Agriculture and Rural Development Minister for dedicating time to this important meeting that will advance the settlements and develop them. We have known Minister Forer for a long time and we know that his heart is in the right place. We brought before him the needs of the Judea and Samaria regional councils, and we know that he will do all he can to assist us.
"We are thankful to him and to his team," Alhayani concluded.
The visit came after the government pledged in its coalition agreements not to change the status quo in Judea and Samaria. While the settler leaders were disappointed by the coalition agreement compromises, Forer's Yisrael Beytenu party supports the settlement project.