The Ministry of the Interior announced today (Thursday) the granting of recognition to five additional settlements in Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley.
This move marks the completion of a long-standing regularization process, officially turning the settlement points into recognized official settlements in the State of Israel.
The five settlements that received official recognition today are: Havat Gilad, Eival, Ma'oz Tzvi in Samaria, and Tamar and Neve Gedid - Gadi Camp in the Jordan Valley.
The decision comes about a month after the Commander of the Central Command, Major General Avi Blot, signed the jurisdictional boundaries of these settlements following intensive staff work by the Civil Administration. With the receipt of the "settlement symbol," the statutory process is fully completed.
Receiving the settlement symbol is much more than a symbolic declaration. It is the "final stamp" of the state, enabling the settlements to receive: direct budgeting - recognition by all government ministries and the allocation of organized budgets; infrastructure - direct connection to the "Mekorot" water system and regulated electricity; security - receiving a standard for ongoing security coordinator (Ravshatz) and eligibility for residents to carry personal weapons; civil services - receiving services from Israel Post and official educational institutions.
Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who is leading the regularization efforts at the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Finance, praised the move: "In about two months, we managed to bring 25 settlement symbols and complete years of regularization processes. This is the result of hard work by many loyal partners."
The minister added a strong political statement: "The settlement in Judea and Samaria continues to grow and flourish with full force. We are killing the idea of a Palestinian state and preventing the establishment of a terror state that would endanger Israel. I thank the Ministry of the Interior, the Central Command Chief, the Civil Administration, and the Settlement Administration for leading these efforts."