Defense Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Tuesday conducted a professional tour of Binyamin with Governor of the Binyamin Regional Council and Yesha Council Chairman Yisrael Ganz.
Also participating in the tour were Central Command Chief Major General Avi Bluth, Coordinator of Government Activities in Judea and Samaria Major General Ghassan Alian, Civil Administration Head Brigadier General Hisham Ibrahim and his deputy Hillel Roth, as well as the CEO of the Judea and Samaria Communities Administration, Yehuda Eliyahu.
The ministers visited the towns of Kerem Re’im and Sdeh Efraim in western Binyamin, which were recently recognized by the government. They received a briefing from Governor Yisrael Ganz on the national challenges in the area.
Ganz thanked the ministers and the government, stating, "As someone who has been closely involved in Judea and Samaria community development for the past decade and a half, I can say that both the Judea and Samaria community development movement and the entire country owe this government immense appreciation. Since 1967, there has not been such a revolution in Judea and Samaria. Thank you, to the Prime Minister and all the ministers. I ask that you continue this work—you are safeguarding the future of our country."
The tour focused on preserving open spaces and preventing the Arab takeover, which the Palestinian Authority is advancing in an effort to create a continuous Arab settlement presence, thereby choking Jewish communities and roads to establish facts on the ground and create a de facto state within the 1967 borders.
According to the data presented during the tour, in 2024, there was a 50% increase in demolitions of illegal construction in Judea and Samaria. Additionally, there was a 30% decrease in the extent of new illegal Arab construction. The Binyamin Council also highlighted the contribution of agricultural farms to strengthening the communities. Grazing lands and agricultural activities in Binyamin significantly curbed the Arab land takeover over the past year.
Defense Minister Israel Katz stated, "The State of Israel will not abandon the security of the residents and will not allow Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority to use illegal construction as a tool to create a strategic threat to the Judea and Samaria communities and the country. Just as we are crushing Palestinian Arab terror in the terror camps, we will also prevent any attempt by the Authority to seize lands in Judea and Samaria and harm Jewish towns."
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich added, "We have led dramatic changes on the ground that have not been seen in the last 50 years in Judea and Samaria. The Israeli government is working to develop communities in Judea and Samaria and will not allow the rampant illegal Arab construction that has become a national plague in recent decades. Judea and Samaria are the cradle of our homeland, the land of the Bible. We are here to stay."
The ministers praised the work of the council and its leadership in this matter, stating, "There is an important local leadership here that is professionally engaged in national challenges. We strengthen the hands of the residents in Binyamin and throughout Judea and Samaria."
During the visit, it was decided to continue close cooperation between government ministries and the Binyamin Council to advance effective enforcement against illegal construction and to preserve open spaces in the region.