IDF Central Command Approves Major Expansion of West Bank Settlements Including Oranit Crossing Separation Barrier

The IDF Central Command chief, Major General Avi Blot, signed off on 18 new jurisdictional boundaries for settlements in Judea and Samaria on Tuesday. This move, coordinated by the Settlement Administration and the Civil Administration, is part of what Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich calls a "settlement revolution."

The new boundaries cover several settlements including Diya in Binyamin, Sha-Nur East and Shira in Samaria, Elisha and Tzuri in the Jordan Valley, and Kerem Ya'ar, Mis'ot Har, Givat Adumim, and Pnei Kedem in Gush Etzion. Adjustments were also made to existing settlements such as Shalem, Itamar, Reihan in Samaria, and Mishkayot in the Jordan Valley.

Significant expansions are planned for local councils: Karnei Shomron will enlarge the Dorot neighborhood and join a master plan agreement with the Israel Land Authority; Efrat will expand the Givat Ha'Etam neighborhood, enabling thousands of new housing units; and Oranit is set to cross the separation barrier for the first time, expanding northward with hundreds of new homes.

Smotrich praised the approval as a major step in the settlement revolution, highlighting that 70 new jurisdictional areas have been advanced in less than a year. He contrasted this with previous government plans he described as aiming to evacuate settlements and establish a Palestinian state, emphasizing his coalition's commitment to strengthening and fortifying settlements. Smotrich also thanked Major General Blot, the Civil Administration, and the Settlement Administration for leading these initiatives.