Jewish Families Settle Eight Homes Purchased in Jericho Under IDF Security

Eight Jewish families entered eight structures purchased in the city of Jericho on Wednesday, as part of a covert operation led by the Nachala movement, with the support of the Benjamin Regional Council. The purchased and occupied buildings are located in the village of Ein Duk al-Tahta, north of Jericho, on state land in Area C under the jurisdiction of the Benjamin Council, near the archaeological site of the Hasmonean Palaces.

According to the organizers, the homes were bought with full payment and are backed by ownership documents. The move was kept entirely secret until the moment of entry, which was conducted under IDF security and included logistical preparations for the new residents. This settlement marks a precedent-setting declarative and practical step for renewed Jewish settlement within the urban area of Jericho, which was the first city handed over to the Palestinian Authority under the Oslo Accords in 1994.

Although the purchased buildings in Ein Duk al-Tahta are located in Area C, which is under full Israeli civilian and security control, they are in a particularly sensitive friction zone bordering Area A of the city. Similar actions of entering purchased homes in Palestinian cities and within Arab populations, as occurred previously in Hebron and East Jerusalem, have in the past sparked legal disputes over purchase approval procedures, as well as security challenges and operational alertness from security forces.

The initiators of the move linked the timing to the weekly Torah portion "Chayei Sarah," which commemorates the purchase of the Cave of the Patriarchs, emphasizing their intention to change the reality established by political agreements in recent decades. Head of the Benjamin Regional Council and Chairman of the Yesha Council, Israel Gantz, stated, "Jericho is the gateway for the people of Israel to their land. In the Oslo Accords, Israel abandoned it, and we are still paying the price of the escape. Today, we are beginning to reverse the trend. We are dismantling the Oslo Accords through actions, house by house, family by family. We bought with full payment, and we are returning home." Chairwoman of the Nachala movement, Daniela Weiss, noted, "The Nachala movement, operating according to Rabbi Levinger's settlement concept, has set a national goal to renew Jewish life in large cities. Today, we are witnessing the continued fulfillment of this vision and opening a new chapter in the history of settlement in the city of Jericho."