Israel is set to establish a new international airport in the northern Negev region, the government announced on Thursday.

The decision to establish a new airport in Ziklag, in the area of the Ziklag archaeological site, near the southern cities of Rahat and Netivot, and not far from the southern city of Beersheba, will be voted for approval by the cabinet on Sunday, a joint statement by the Prime Minister’s Office, Transportation Ministry and Finance Ministry said.

The area is west of the site that was previously mulled by the government — the southern moshav of Nevatim.

The establishment of an alternate international airport “will create thousands of new jobs, strengthen the local economy, and is part of an expanded process the government is leading to reduce gaps and effectively end the concept of the periphery,” the government statement read on Wednesday.

“The decision was made by the prime minister at the conclusion of a discussion between Transportation Minister Miri Regev, Deputy Minister Almog Cohen, the interim director-general of the Prime Minister’s Office, and senior officials from the Finance, Transportation and Defense ministries,” the joint statement read.

The decision comes years after discussions over the establishment of a........

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