Being a member of the Likud, and a resident of Bet Shemesh, I received in the mail this week a letter from a Member of Knesset. This was unusual because they usually only send letters to members when preparing for elections.

This letter was from Likud MK Danny Danon, Director of World Likud, and it was about the housing protests in Bet Shemesh.

The letter said (my translation)..

The past two and a half years the construction in the secular and national religious neighborhoods of Bet Shemesh has come almost to a complete halt., which has caused thousands of people to leave the city. This has also the residents of the Regional Council of Mateh Yehuda, when the Ministry of Interior decided to steal sources of income from the council and transfer them to bet Shemesh in order to allow them to continue absorbing sectoral populations of limited abilities.
Specifically in these days, as the land is shaking in the face of the housing crisis, it must be said loudly: tens of thousands of housing units that are slated to be built in bet Shemesh can help solve the housing crisis if only it would be divided equally among all the general population.
Therefore, I call to you to come to an emergency conference o this issue that will take place Motzei Shabbos at 21:30 in the Likud headquarters in bet Shemesh, with the participation of ministers, Members of Knesset and public figures.
I have no doubt that specifically us, the members of the Likud, can bring about change and renewal to the face of the city of Bet Shemesh.

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The Chadash newspaper spoke to MK Danon and asked about his conference. They say he has no idea what he is talking about, and could only say he does not know when they presented him with other facts of construction for other sectors (not in RBS Gimmel or future neighborhoods, but new projects for chilonim and dati leumi in old Bet Shemesh), and other details that show Bet Shemesh is open to everybody.

I dont know what he does know or does not know, but you cannot force people to buy. RBS Gimmel is not designed to be specifically for haredim. Perhaps the marketing is directed more to them, but that is because they are the ones buying. It is true that future neighborhoods are being planned specifically for the haredi public, but the current construction is not. And if the haredim are the only ones buying in such numbers, why would they plan future neighborhoods for anyone but haredim - they are the ones buying.

Emergency conference or not, you cannot force people to buy apartments they don't want. If they can get people to accept living in a mixed city with a large Haredi population, and they will be willing to buy and create neighborhoods in their style, I am sure projects will go their way as well.

I hope that in the emergency conference they discuss finding ways to generate interest among the chiloni and dati leumi in buying in Bet Shemesh and make keeping the city diverse a real possibility.