Israel Reestablishes Kadim Settlement in Northern West Bank 21 Years After Disengagement

On Thursday morning, hundreds gathered for the official ceremony marking the reestablishment of the Kadim settlement in northern Samaria (West Bank), 21 years after it was evacuated during Israel's disengagement plan. Approximately 30 families from a settler core group, mainly from Tel Aviv, moved into the renewed community. The event was attended by prominent Israeli officials including Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, Finance Minister and Minister in the Defense Ministry Bezalel Smotrich, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, Minister Zeev Elkin, and Shomron Regional Council head Yossi Dagan.

The settlement's reestablishment follows a government cabinet decision and is part of the "Connection Plan" led by the Shomron Regional Council, which aims to establish 19 new communities in northern Samaria as part of the broader "Million in Samaria" initiative. Yossi Dagan declared, "On the 21st anniversary of the expulsion, we stand united and declare: we have corrected the expulsion from northern Samaria! The people of Israel prevail!" He emphasized ongoing state-coordinated efforts to build many more thriving settlements with full infrastructure.

Bezalel Smotrich described the return to Kadim as completing the restoration of the four settlements uprooted in northern Samaria, calling the 21-year-old expulsion a "crime." He highlighted the strategic security importance of these communities and reiterated plans to build 19 new settlements in the area. Amir Ohana praised the Knesset's repeal of disengagement law clauses that barred Jewish return, calling the moment deeply moving and a continuation of the Zionist project toward full Israeli sovereignty.

Justice Minister Yariv Levin called the return a "huge victory," affirming Israel's natural and historical right to the land. Zeev Elkin mentioned plans to reverse the disengagement in Gush Katif in Gaza as well, advocating for Israeli sovereignty in these areas. Religious leaders and settler representatives framed the event as a spiritual and national revival, with Rabbi Chaim Gantz calling Kadim's return a "return of the national soul and divine ideal." The settler core leader, Oz Tsohar, said the families are returning with a strong sense of mission, breathing new life into the community.