A total of 3,380 dunams have been declared state land for construction of the new city of Mishmar Yehuda.
In February 2024, the Diplomatic-Security Cabinet announced the establishment of Mishmar Yehuda. Since then, all procedures for establishing the new city have been advancing rapidly. At the same time, the first detailed urban plan for the city is already being advanced, and includes approximately 3,600 housing units.
Finance Minister and Minister in the Defense Ministry Bezalel Smotrich said, "Mishmar Yehuda is set to be a new, planned, large, and beautiful city, which will serve as a strategic anchor for the protection of Jerusalem from the east."
"This is a historic announcement on several levels: first and foremost, the creation of a large city with tens of thousands of housing units; while at the same time, a dramatic strengthening of the Jerusalem envelope from the east; and no less important, a significant solution to the housing crisis of tens of thousands of young couples, just a stone's throw from Jerusalem."
He added, "This is another step in advancing de facto sovereignty in the area and stopping the idea of establishing an Arab state in Judea and Samaria. I thank Major General of the Central Command, Avi Bluth; the Civil Administration; and the Settlement Division for leading the process with determination and professionalism. I could not pass over mentioning my friend and comrade, the fighter for the Land of Israel, Attorney Doron Nir Zvi, of blessed memory, who was one of the first to push for the establishment of the city and even left the advancement of the project to me as a kind of legacy during our last meeting before his passing."