Finance Minister Smotrich announced Wednesday that 465 dunams (115 acres) adjacent to the community of Giv'ot in the Binyamin region have been declared state land for the expansion of the settlement. Smotrich said the move counters left-wing plans to evacuate settlements and pushes back against the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced Wednesday the declaration of 465 dunams (115 acres) of state land adjacent to the community of Giv'ot (Giv'ot HaRo'eh) in the Binyamin region of Judea, for the expansion of the settlement. 'In the face of left-wing plans to evacuate settlements, we are fighting against a Palestinian state that will not be established,' Smotrich said in a statement.
Giv'ot is a small religious-Zionist community established in the early 2000s, located near the settlement of Eli. The newly declared area is slated for residential expansion. The declaration follows a broader pattern of state land declarations under the current government, which have drawn international criticism. In a related but separate development last week, Smotrich announced plans for a new urban center around Giv'ot itself, as The Zioneer reported (June 18).
As of publication, the Civil Administration has not issued a separate statement on the declaration, and no timeframe has been given for the construction tenders that would follow. The move is expected to face legal challenges from Palestinian landowners who claim rights to the area, as well as international opposition.
2 developments
- StrongSmotrich unveils plan to build thousands of housing units, turn Giv'ot into a town
- DevelopingGush Etzion council head: Settlement revolution in Judea and Samaria has doubled communities in three years
- StrongAfter 18-year process, Israel approves building permit for new dormitory at Hebron yeshiva
- StrongYeshiva building approved in Hebron; the Planning Council authorizes 576 new housing units across Judea and Samaria
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