The Israeli Ministry of Interior granted official locality codes to two new communities on Wednesday, finalizing their recognition as full-fledged localities in the State of Israel and concluding a years-long process.
The community of Karmei Oz (Givat Harel) in the Binyamin Regional Council was founded 28 years ago. Now, upon receiving its locality code, a four-digit serial number used to identify independent localities in Israel, the process of recognition has come to an end. This will allow it to develop and grow as an independent locality.
The second community to receive its locality code is Sahlab in the Samaria Regional Council, which the Security Cabinet declared as a new community in 2025. A large city site is to be built on the site, covering approximately 4,500 dunams.
Following staff work by the Civil Administration and the Settlement Administration in the Defense Ministry, headed by Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth signed off on the communities' jurisdictions. Now, with the allocation of official locality codes, they officially and permanently become recognized communities.
The move is being described as a major development, both in the establishment of new communities and in the formalization of young settlements, following years during which the communities were not officially recognized and had to contend with difficult conditions to remain on the land.
An official locality code is a significant milestone in the formalization process and represents the state’s final stamp of approval. Following its issuance, the communities are recognized by government ministries, enabling them, among other things, to receive a security coordinator position, Israel Post services, and direct water connections through Mekorot.
Finance Minister and chairman of the Religious Zionist Party Bezalel Smotrich said: “Within about six months, with G-d’s help, we succeeded in securing 39 community codes as part of the establishment of new communities and the formalization of young settlements. This is a tremendous achievement and the result of the hard work of many partners who are committed to this path. The settlement enterprise in Judea and Samaria continues to grow and develop with full force, and in the face of an Eisenkot-Liberman-Golan government that wants to destroy and uproot the settlements and establish a Palestinian state, we are building, planting, and strengthening our hold on the inheritance of our forefathers. I thank the Interior Ministry, the Central Command chief, the Civil Administration, and the Settlement Administration for leading these efforts."