Jewish Families Enter Homes Purchased Near Jericho Under Military Protection

Eight Jewish families entered eight buildings they claim to have purchased in the Ein al-Duyuk al-Tahta area, north of Jericho, on Wednesday. The settlement move, carried out secretly, was led by the Nahala movement with support from the Binyamin Regional Council. The buildings are located in Area C, under Israeli civilian and security control, within the Binyamin Council's jurisdiction and near the archaeological site of the Hasmonean Palaces. Organizers stated the buildings were bought for full price and that they possess ownership documents. The operation was kept secret until the families entered, protected by the Israeli military, which also provided logistical support for the new residents. This action carries significant political and settlement implications, marking, according to organizers, a return of Jewish presence to the vicinity of Jericho, which came under Palestinian Authority control in 1994 as part of the Oslo Accords. Although the buildings are in Area C, they are adjacent to Area A of the city, making the location a sensitive friction zone. The move echoes similar settlement activities in Hebron and East Jerusalem, where property purchases and the entry of Jewish families have sparked legal and security disputes and heightened security alert. Organizers linked the timing to the "Purchase of the Cave of the Patriarchs" commemoration during the "Sarah's Life" Torah portion, aiming to alter the reality created by past political agreements. Yisrael Gantz, head of the Binyamin Regional Council, called Jericho "the Jewish people's gateway to their land," asserting Israel "abandoned it" in the Oslo Accords and that the current move aims to reverse this. He stated, "We are dismantling the Oslo Accords with actions, house by house, family by family. We bought for full price, and we are returning home." Daniela Weiss, head of the Nahala movement, said the movement aims to renew Jewish presence within major cities, adding that the families' entry into the Jericho-area buildings opens, in her words, "a new chapter in the history of settlement" in the city.