For the first time since the 2005 disengagement, a Hanukkah candle-lighting ceremony will be held in the former communities of Ganim and Kadim in northern Samaria. The event was made possible following an appeal by Deputy Knesset Speaker MK Limor Sohn Har-Melekh to the security establishment and officials in the Prime Minister’s Office, which resulted in special authorization for an organized entry into the area.
The approval, granted by security officials and the IDF Central Command, allows the event to take place this coming Thursday, in full coordination with the Ganim-Kadim core group working to renew Jewish presence at the sites. According to the approved outline, a convoy of two bulletproof buses will depart via the Gilboa (Jalameh) crossing, enter Ganim for approximately one hour, and then continue for an additional hour in Kadim.
In her letter to the Prime Minister’s military secretary, MK Sohn Har-Melekh noted that the activity is being carried out as part of the “local core group families,” and emphasized that the amendment to the Disengagement Law in northern Samaria anchors the rights of those active in the area. She stressed that “the role of the army is to assist in safeguarding the security of the participants,” in accordance with guidelines permitting organized entry only.
The IDF clarified that entry will be allowed exclusively via organized buses, with no private vehicles permitted.
“This moving event is another significant step in correcting a historical injustice,” Sohn Har-Melekh said. “I have accompanied the Ganim-Kadim core group from its very first day, and now we are beginning to return to the places from which we were expelled. I thank the security forces and the members of the core group for their dedication.”
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir added: “Lighting Hanukkah candles in Ganim and Kadim sends a message of connection to our roots and strengthening the Jewish hold on the Land of Israel. This step reflects the government’s policy of reinforcing settlement in northern Samaria.”