New Settlement Farm Inaugurated in Samaria in Memory of Fallen Officer

A new settlement farm, "Eitan Farm," was inaugurated on Thursday in the Samaria region, expanding the settlement of Har Bracha. The farm, covering approximately 6,000 dunams (about 1,500 acres), is established in memory of Second Lieutenant Eitan Avner Ben Yitzhak, who fell in battle in Rafah a year prior. Six pioneering families have already moved to the new farm.

The initiative was inspired by Ben Yitzhak's own vision; just two weeks before his death on September 18, he had visited the site with friends and advocated for the establishment of a new settlement point. His father, Nachshon Ben Yitzhak, spoke at the inauguration ceremony, stating, "We stand here a year after the fall of our Eitan, a year of pain and heartbreak, but also a year of joint action, of connection and building. Together with the amazing residents of Har Bracha, we have turned longing into action and a dream into reality. Eitan's spirit accompanies us every step of the way."

Head of the Shomron Regional Council, Yossi Dagan, welcomed the establishment, calling it a "clear Zionist response to the barbaric enemy that seeks to destroy us: the building of the Land of Israel, and on a grand scale. This place will be ours forever and will be a significant part of the vision to turn Har Bracha into a huge city in the heart of Samaria." Rabbi Eliezer Melamed, the settlement's rabbi, blessed the new families and noted that settling the land is a great mitzvah (commandment), expressing hope that this will lead to generations expanding the borders of the land.