New Settlement Emek Dotan Established in Northern West Bank with Government Support

On Sunday morning, 22 pioneering families officially established the new settlement of Emek Dotan in the northern West Bank during a festive ceremony attended by government ministers and Knesset members. The event was marked by speeches from key figures including Shomron Regional Council head Yossi Dagan, Education Minister Yoav Kish, and Minister Ze'ev Elkin. Emek Dotan is the fifth settlement founded by the Shomron Regional Council in less than a year and the first in northern Shomron since the disengagement evacuations.

The settlement is located near the biblical Emek Dotan, where Joseph searched for his brothers, and the site of a historic battle by Brigade 45 that paved the way for control over northern Shomron. The establishment follows a government decision led by ministers Israel Katz and Bezalel Smotrich as part of the "Connection Plan," which aims to create 19 new settlements in northern Shomron to strengthen Jewish presence and security in the area.

Yossi Dagan described the founding as correcting a historic injustice and emphasized the growth from four evacuated settlements to 19 new ones, calling it a Zionist and national victory. Minister Kish announced the opening of a kindergarten for the settlement’s children starting this year. Minister Elkin highlighted his long-standing efforts to restore Jewish settlement in the region, expressing excitement over the realization of this vision.

Other speakers included former Housing Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf, Rabbi Chaim Baruch, and several Knesset members who praised the settlement as a symbol of resilience and national determination. The founding families expressed hope for a thriving, religious, and community-oriented future for Emek Dotan. The ceremony underscored the government’s commitment to expanding Jewish settlements in the West Bank despite political challenges.