Hundreds of people attended a ceremony Sunday marking the reestablishment of the Sa-Nur settlement in the northern West Bank, which was evacuated 21 years ago under Israel’s 2005 disengagement plan.
The event followed the arrival of the first families who have moved back to the site.
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Bezalel Smotrich, Ze’ev Elkin, Yossi Dagan and Israel Katz at the inauguration ceremony of the Sa-Nur settlement
(Photo: Religious Zionist Party)
Government ministers and Knesset members took part in the ribbon-cutting ceremony, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who also serves in the Defense Ministry. He thanked Defense Minister Israel Katz and described the move as a turning point.
“We are carrying out a historic correction, killing the idea of a Palestinian state and returning to Sa-Nur,” Smotrich said. “This is a holiday for the settlement movement.”
Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan also welcomed the return, calling it both a national and personal milestone.
Placement of caravans in Sa-Nur last month
(Video: Samaria Regional Council)
“Today we are making history and effectively reversing the expulsion from northern Samaria,” Dagan said. “Sa-Nur will become a city, and northern Samaria will become one of the most thriving regions in Israel.”
About a year ago, the security cabinet quietly approved the establishment of 22 settlements in the West Bank, including Homesh and Sa-Nur. The proposal was advanced by Katz and Smotrich.
The decision came two weeks after the government approved a plan to resume formal land registration in the West Bank and counter what it described as unauthorized land registration efforts by the Palestinian Authority in Area C.
Under the plan, Israel declared that Palestinian land registration processes in Area C lack legal authority and that related documents, maps and approvals would have no legal standing in Israeli procedures. Security forces were also instructed to act to halt those efforts, including preventing access by professionals and blocking foreign assistance.
Caravans were placed at the Sa-Nur site about a month ago in preparation for the return of residents.