The Israeli Defense Ministry’s Civil Administration Higher Planning Committee issued 792 new housing permits Sunday afternoon for Israeli towns across Samaria.
The permits were issued after Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu gave his backing for the construction permits.
The 792 new units include permits for 66 homes in the town of Oranit in western Samaria, 36 in the Samaria town of Karnei Shomron, 152 in Shavei Shomron, and 123 in the central Samaria town of Itamar, south of Shechem [Nablus].
In northern Samaria, 107 permits were issued for Tal Menashe, with 96 housing permits granted for Havat Yair in central Samaria, and 212 units approved in Nofei Nehemia, which technically remains a part of Rehelim in the Binyamin district of central Samaria.
Samaria Regional Council chief Yossi Dagan hailed the Higher Planning Committee’s decision as “a historic achievement” for the settlement enterprise.
“Years of work reached a critical juncture today, but it is also important to remember on this happy occasion that we’re in the midst of a struggle for the wonderful people who live in the fledgling settlements, and we are holding hunger protests with them in Jerusalem.”
“This achievement today is not complete without normalization for all of the 49 [fledgling] towns in Judea and Samaria. We demand normalization now. It is the Prime Minister’s hands.”
“With one decision at a government meeting, the Prime Minister can approve the all of fledgling settlements and give 18,000 children heating during the winter, as well as water and electricity. This new development proves that the Prime Minister can deliver normalization of the fledgling settlements. Doubling the size of Shavei Shomron, Itamar, Rehelim, and Tal Menashe is a great accomplishment, which is the result of great struggles. The time has come for the settlement enterprise to get what it deserves without struggles.”