Israeli Planning Authority Approves 158 New Housing Units in Mishkayot Settlement to Double Its Size

The Israeli Planning and Building Committee (Mat"a) has approved a plan to deposit 158 new housing units in the Mishkayot settlement located in the Jordan Valley. This development is expected to more than double the size of the settlement and support its continued growth. Mishkayot was originally established as a Nahal outpost in 1988, abandoned after a few years, and reestablished in 2004. After decades of stabilization, this new plan aims to expand the community, allowing hundreds of new residents to move in.

Finance Minister and Minister of Defense in the Ministry of Finance, Bezalel Smotrich, praised the decision, calling it a significant milestone that will enable growth and development in the settlement. He emphasized the importance of strengthening Israeli presence in the Jordan Valley, contrasting this expansion with political figures who support uprooting settlements to create a Palestinian state. Smotrich thanked the Civil Administration and the Settlement Administration for leading the process.

The approval marks a major step in the settlement’s development trajectory, signaling a substantial increase in housing capacity and reinforcing Israeli settlement activity in the region amid ongoing political debates about the future of the Jordan Valley.