The Defense Ministry said at a Knesset committee hearing on Wednesday that about 40 new Nahal nuclei are expected to be established in September along Israel’s eastern border. The discussion, led by MK Michel Buskila, examined implementation of the ministry’s 2026 work plan for the region, where officials said they are pushing both settlement expansion and a new security barrier.
According to the ministry’s eastern border project manager, Mordechai Banita, the plan envisions dozens of settlement hubs לאורך the 500-kilometer frontier and a continuous barrier from the northern border to Eilat. A military representative warned, however, that only 80 kilometers of the planned barrier have been funded so far. Banita said the incoming Nahal frameworks will include 600 to 800 teenagers, alongside pre-army academies and gap-year volunteers, and stressed that the youth will not be placed on the frontline but will serve as backup.
Ramming back against the plan, MK Ram Ben Barak called lightly trained youth a “not good enough patch” and urged broader enlistment of women and ultra-Orthodox men to strengthen manpower. Buskila welcomed what he called positive movement, saying the region is being prioritized across security and civilian criteria and that development must be balanced with preserving green reserves and expanding industry and commerce.
Local leaders expressed concern about vulnerabilities on the ground. Beit She'an Mayor Noam Joum'a warned that if the eastern border is not strengthened, the situation could be worse than in the north. Emek HaMaayanot Regional Council head Itamar Mitash cited the deadly December attack in which two Israelis were killed and said a 10-kilometer gap remains in the planned fence between Yardena and Tirat Zvi, which he called an existential risk. Representatives from Eilat and Tamar also raised security and infrastructure problems, including weak city defenses, poor cellular reception, and flood-related disruptions on Route 90. A Central Command representative said Division 96 was formed during the war as a dedicated unit for the area, and the Settlement Ministry said a 3 billion shekel government decision is expected within two weeks to support settlement, agriculture, security and infrastructure.
