The country's security needs were a major factor in the situating of many settlements for new immigrants. Development towns such as Ma'alot and Kiryat Shemonah in the north and Bet-Shean in the east were intended not only to provide homes for the country's new citizens but to strengthen Israel's borders as well", "Project Renewal." Encyclopaedia Judaica. . Encyclopedia.com. 24 Jan. 2018 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>