Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced Wednesday the declaration of 465 dunams (115 acres) as state land to expand the Giv'ot HaRo'eh settlement in the Binyamin region. Smotrich framed the move as part of a broader policy to strengthen Israeli settlement and counter Palestinian statehood plans. The declaration follows the February 2023 cabinet decision recognizing Giv'ot HaRo'eh as an independent settlement.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich (Religious Zionism) announced Wednesday that 465 dunams (115 acres) adjacent to the community of Giv'ot HaRo'eh in the Binyamin region have been declared state land, enabling a significant expansion of the settlement. The move follows the February 2023 cabinet decision recognizing Giv'ot HaRo'eh as a new independent settlement, and subsequent steps including the Central Command's approval of an expanded municipal boundary and the Interior Ministry's assignment of an official settlement symbol.
As The Zioneer reported earlier Wednesday (13:13 Jerusalem), the declaration builds on Smotrich's stated policy of strengthening settler communities in Judea and Samaria. The minister noted that a first master plan for over 900 housing units is already being advanced. The announcement comes alongside broader measures by Smotrich's ministry, including approval of over 100 new settlements, tens of thousands of housing units, and tens of thousands of dunams of state land declarations.
Binyamin Regional Council head Yisrael Gantz said the expansion strengthens the "settlement continuum" and Israel's hold on the territory, calling it a "strategic move of the highest order." Smotrich directly linked the move to countering opposition to settlement growth, stating: "Facing the left's plans to evacuate settlements, we are fighting a Palestinian state that will not rise."
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