With the current coalition's future uncertain, Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked is attempting to secure as many achievements as possible during her term in office.
Following requests from residents, Shaked is considering the establishment of a new municipal council in Binyamin - Kochav Yaakov, which would separate the settlement from the Binyamin Regional Council.
In addition, the Interior Minister is considering splitting the Binyamin Regional Council into two regional councils - East Binyamin and West Binyamin. Today, the Binyamin Council extends from Latrun in the west to the Jordan Valley in the east, from Jerusalem in the south to the area of the city of Ariel in the north. In 2021, the council had about 72,900 residents, and this is the largest number of residents in an Israeli regional council.
The two steps, the establishment of Kochav Yaakov and the splitting of the Binyamin Council, will not take effect in the near future, and will require extensive and lengthy work in the Interior Ministry. It will also require examination by the Borders Committee and the approval of Defense Minister Benny Gantz, who has the authority to order the Commander of the Central Command to change the borders of communities in Judea and Samaria.
Shaked instructed her staff to examine these changes in light of requests received in recent months from residents of the Binyamin Regional Council. Shaul Dahan, chairman of the Dolev settlement committee, wrote to Shaked: "The large size of the Binyamin Council does not allow the settlements in western Binyamin to be properly promoted and served, and in particular it does not allow for a focus on the development of settlement and roads in this area."
"The settlements of western Benjamin have about 27,000 inhabitants. This number of residents is also greater than the average of the regional councils in Israel," Dahan noted.