Israel declared 456,000 square meters of land in the Binyamin region as state land on Wednesday, a move expected to significantly advance the expansion of the settlement of Giv’ot HaRo’eh.
The declaration follows a February 2023 decision by Israel’s politcal leadership to recognize Giv’ot HaRo’eh as a new and independent settlement.
Since then, authorities have advanced the settlement’s legalization process, including expanding its municipal jurisdiction through an order signed by Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth and the allocation of an official settlement designation by the Interior Ministry. The new state land declaration is expected to allow additional planning and construction procedures to move forward.
A first construction plan for Giv’ot HaRo’eh is currently being promoted and includes more than 900 housing units.
The move is part of a broader policy promoted by Finance Minister and Religious Zionist Party chairman Bezalel Smotrich to expand Israeli settlement in Judea and Samaria. The policy includes the advancement of more than 100 new settlements, tens of thousands of housing units, and the declaration of tens of thousands of dunams of state land.
Smotrich praised the decision, saying that Giv’ot HaRo’eh had “shown resilience for more than 20 years while waiting for the Israeli government to advance its regulation."
“With God’s help, as part of the recognition of all the young settlements in recent years, we are completing the task here as well," Smotrich said. “The declaration we advanced today will serve as a tremendous engine for growth and development of the settlement."
He added that the move was also a response to calls from the political left to evacuate settlements.
“We are fighting against the establishment of a Palestinian state that will not be created," Smotrich said. “This is another large obstacle we are placing in the path of a Palestinian state that will not be established, while advancing de facto sovereignty."
Smotrich thanked Civil Administration officials, the Central Command chief, and the Settlement Administration for advancing the process.
Israel Ganz, head of the Binyamin Regional Council and chairman of the Yesha Council, called the declaration “a strategic move of the highest order."
“Giv’ot HaRo’eh is located in a central area at the heart of the country and serves as the western anchor of the Shilo-Eli region," Ganz said. “Its expansion strengthens the settlement continuum, Israel’s presence on the ground, and the security of hundreds of thousands of Israeli citizens."
Ganz said the government had been working to shift settlement policy from “struggles for survival" toward long-term planning for larger and more established communities.
“This announcement, together with the advancement of thousands of housing units across the region, is part of a broad process reshaping the future of Binyamin, Judea, and Samaria," he said.
He also criticized remarks by former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett supporting the evacuation of illegal outposts and Palestinian autonomy, saying such ideas amounted to “a terror state in the heart of the country."
“While others talk about handing over strategic areas to an entity that encourages terror, we strengthen Israel’s hold on the ground, build settlements, and shape the region’s future with responsibility for Israel’s security," Ganz said.