New Israeli Settlement 'Noa' Established in Samaria

A new Israeli settlement named Noa was established on Monday in the northern Samaria region, south of the communities of Ganim and Kadim. This marks the eighth settlement founded by the Samaria Regional Council in under a year. The first families have already moved in and begun building a new community.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan, Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar, Minister for Settlements and National Missions Orit Strock, Minister for Diaspora Affairs and the Fight Against Antisemitism Amichai Chikli, MK Boaz Bismuth, and Zeev Chever Zambish. During the event, Dagan recited the traditional blessing for establishing a new Jewish settlement in the Land of Israel. Participants affixed a mezuzah and inaugurated the first residential structures.

Noa is situated south of Ganim and Kadim, settlements that were evacuated during the Disengagement Plan and recently resettled. Its establishment aims to strengthen the settlement enterprise in northern Samaria and create significant settlement continuity in the area. The founding follows a cabinet decision made about a year ago, led by Ministers Israel Katz and Bezalel Smotrich, and is part of the Samaria Regional Council's broader 'Connection Plan' to establish 19 new settlements in northern Samaria and its 'Million in Samaria' initiative to bring one million residents to the region.

Dagan stated, "In the place where they sought to uproot and expel, we are privileged today to build a new settlement and bring pioneering families to the land. After years of persistent struggle, northern Samaria is rising again." He added that Noa's establishment is a "victorious Zionist answer to all who thought settlement would stop." Shira Bar-Gad, a mother of two who moved to Noa from Jerusalem, expressed her excitement, noting the transformation of the area and the arrival of the first structures, calling it "truly exciting."