The Civil Administration’s enforcement unit carried out an operation in northern Samaria, clearing agricultural plantings and demolishing structures and infrastructure on land designated for the future expansion of the communities of Ganim and Kadim.
According to the Civil Administration, several instances of encroachment on state land were uncovered during the operation, including the planting of approximately 500 olive trees across some 250 dunams. Structures and infrastructure that the Civil Administration said had been built without permits were also found on the site.
The area targeted in the enforcement operation is located just 100 meters from the sites where new neighborhoods are planned to be built in Ganim and Kadim.
The Civil Administration said the operation was intended to prevent agricultural encroachment at an early stage, before plantings and construction could establish facts on the ground and make it more difficult to implement the communities’ development plans in the future.
The enforcement unit operates under the authority of Minister in the Defense Ministry Bezalel Smotrich, who has presented the enforcement campaign as part of a policy aimed at protecting state land, preventing attempts to undermine future Jewish development, and thwarting efforts to establish a Palestinian state.
“State land is not ownerless," Smotrich said. “Anyone who attempts to take control of it and establish facts on the ground will have to deal with the State of Israel and a determined enforcement system."
“Our policy is clear-we will not wait until an encroachment becomes a fait accompli," he added. “We identify, enforce and thwart. We will continue to act resolutely against illegal construction and the takeover of state land, strengthen governance and preserve the land for future generations. I thank the enforcement unit and the Settlement Directorate for their professional and determined work."