New Settlement 'Giv'at Shomron' Established in Samaria

Ten families have established the new settlement of "Giv'at Shomron" in the northern Samaria region, marking the tenth new settlement founded by the Samaria Regional Council in under a year. The settlement is located on the site of the former Sa-Nur IDF paratrooper training base, which was evacuated in 2005. The establishment of Giv'at Shomron is part of a broader "Connection Plan" by the Samaria Regional Council to establish 19 new settlements in northern Samaria, replacing the four communities evacuated during the disengagement. This initiative, supported by the government and led by ministers Israel Katz and Bezalel Smotrich, aims to strengthen Israeli presence in the historically and strategically important area.

The founding families are graduates of the Ramat Gan Hesder Yeshiva, led by Rabbi Yehoshua Shapira and Rabbi Ben Zion Algazi. At the inauguration ceremony, Rabbi Yaakov Ariel, president of the yeshiva, blessed the settlers, saying, "Bring a blessing of peace to the world." Yossi Dagan, Head of the Samaria Regional Council, declared, "We are planted again in northern Samaria, this time forever." He emphasized that the new settlement is a response to the evacuation and a "correction" for the area, strengthening security and deepening roots.

Other speakers at the event included Rabbi Berel Lazar, Chief Rabbi of Russia, who called the families "the true heroes of the people of Israel," and Rabbi Yitzchak Kogan, who offered a priestly blessing. Rabbi Shapira stressed the nation's commitment to the land, while Rabbi Algazi highlighted the rapid mobilization of the yeshiva's students. MK Boaz Bismuth, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, thanked the settlers for building the land, stating their actions benefit all Israelis.