New Israeli Settlement 'Neot Harim' Established in Strategic Benjamin Location

Fourteen pioneering families settled in the new Israeli settlement of "Neot Harim" in western Benjamin on Wednesday. The inauguration ceremony was attended by Yisrael Gantz, Head of the Benjamin Regional Council, ministers, public figures, and veteran settlers.

The establishment of Neot Harim, the first new settlement in the area in decades, occurred on the thirtieth day since the killing of Natanel Shicron, a father of six from Ali Zahav, who was murdered in a shooting attack near the Ein Ri'a spring. The new settlement was built after extensive infrastructure work and road construction.

Located strategically between Na'aleh and Nofei Prat, beneath the flight path to Ben Gurion Airport, Neot Harim is considered to have high security importance for the region and central Israel. Its creation significantly strengthens the connection between Na'aleh and Atarot to the Dolev-Talmon bloc and enhances territorial contiguity between eastern and western Benjamin.

Neot Harim is the third settlement established in Benjamin in the last six months and the second within weeks. It is part of a strategic plan to solidify Israeli presence in the area, fulfilling a cabinet decision to establish 13 new settlements in Benjamin. The settlement council emphasized that establishing a permanent community in this depth of territory is a significant step in reinforcing Israeli control and the security of central Israel.

While celebrating the new settlement, the ceremony also carried a somber note, coinciding with the thirtieth day since Shicron's murder. Participants remembered Natanel and connected the grief of his loss to the establishment of the new settlement as a symbol of continued life and construction in the region. Yisrael Gantz remarked, "Today, on the thirtieth day since the murder of Natanel Shicron, as his family gathers at his grave, our hearts are with them in pain and longing. Precisely on this day, not far from the spring where Natanel was murdered, we are inaugurating the new settlement Neot Harim and saying loudly: 'In your blood, you shall live.'" He concluded with a message to terrorists, stating, "We are here, we have won, and we will continue to win! From Neot Harim, we send a clear message to all who dream of dangerous uprooting and a Palestinian state opposite Gush Dan: We will continue to deepen our roots and strengthen Israel's security."