The 13 newly recognized independent communities include Tal Menashe, Migron, Shvut Rachel, Haresha, Leshem, Nofei Nehemia, Gvaot, Kerem Reim, Neriya, Alon, Ovnat, Brosh Habika, and Ibei Hanahal.
Israel’s security cabinet took a bold step forward towards strengthening the Jewish presence in its ancestral homeland on Sunday by approving a plan to recognize 13 Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria as independent communities.
“We continue to lead a revolution of normalization and regulation in the settlements. Instead of hiding and apologizing – we raise the flag, build and settle. This is another important step on the path to actual sovereignty in Judea and Samaria,” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich wrote in celebration on X.
Israel’s determination to maintain security control over Judea and Samaria has been reinforced in the wake of the October 7, 2023 Hamas massacre, with IDF forces recently conducting counter-terrorism operations in Jenin after the Palestinian Authority’s failure to crackdown on extremists.
The 13 newly recognized independent communities include Tal Menashe, Migron, Shvut Rachel, Haresha, Leshem, Nofei Nehemia, Gvaot, Kerem Reim, Neriya, Alon, Ovnat, Brosh Habika, and Ibei Hanahal.
“Their new status will enable direct government funding for each settlement, eliminating the previous requirement to channel resources through their parent communities.”
Needless to say, the PA’s Foreign Ministry criticized Israel’s historic decision and Hamas condemned the move as a ”desperate attempt to impose realities on the ground,” Israel continues to assert its legitimate rights to the territory.
Approximately 700,000 Jewish Israelis currently live in communities throughout Judea and Samaria and eastern Jerusalem, areas liberated by Israel during the defensive Six-Day War in 1967.
Though many nations dispute Israel’s right to build in these areas, Israel stands firm on its historical and biblical connections to the land, which date back thousands of years to the time of the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
