Israeli Council Plans Six New Settlements in Binyamin to Counter Palestinian and Iranian Influence

The Binyamin Regional Council has announced plans to establish six new settlements in the Binyamin area of the West Bank in the coming months. This initiative, backed by a recent decision from the Israeli Security Cabinet, aims to strengthen Israeli presence and sovereignty in strategically important locations. Three settlements will be built in western Binyamin, bridging Jerusalem and central Israel, and three in eastern Binyamin, overlooking the Jordan Valley. The project is part of a broader effort to counteract Palestinian Authority expansion and Iranian-backed terror influence in the region.

Israel Gantz, chairman of the Yesha Council and head of the Binyamin Regional Council, described the move as historic and essential for maintaining Israeli control. He emphasized the choice between establishing strong Israeli communities or allowing Palestinian and Iranian terror control over hills overlooking Ben Gurion Airport and the Gush Dan metropolitan area. Gantz highlighted that the settlements will secure key transportation routes such as Highway 443 and prevent hostile territorial continuity.

The new settlements will join Ma'oz Tzur, a community successfully established recently. The initiative is funded with tens of millions of shekels and is supported by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Defense Minister Israel Katz, Energy Minister Eli Cohen, and Central Command Chief Avi Blot. Gantz expressed optimism that by summer, millions of Israelis flying out of Ben Gurion Airport will see a strong human presence protecting the land.

This settlement expansion is seen as a strategic response to the "Fayyad Plan," under which the Palestinian Authority has sought to assert control over large areas of Binyamin. The Israeli government and local leadership view the new communities as a decisive step to ensure permanent Israeli sovereignty and security in the region.