About 8,000 dunam in the Jordan Valley have now been recognized as state lands, and earmarked for the construction of hundreds of housing units, as well as an industrial and commercial zone, Kan Reshet Bet reported Friday morning.
According to the report, the process was carried out following about a year of work by a dedicated team in the Defense Ministry's Settlement Administration under Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
The declaration will allow the area to be set aside in reserve for construction and development. The planning included, among other things, a survey of the land, as well as a legal opinion.
A professional source said that the planning and preparation of the housing units in the area declared to be State land may take about a year, and that it will need the approval of the political echelon.
The left-wing "Peace Now" activist group claimed that the current year has seen a record high in the number of permits given for construction in Judea and Samaria, and that the rise occurred after Smotrich received authority for the Civil Administration.
Smotrich responded, "Advancing the proclamation of State lands is an important and strategic matter. At a time whe there are those in Israel and in the world who attempt to undermine our right to Judea, Samaria, and all of Israel, we are advancing the settlements using hard work - and in a strategic fashion, all across Israel."