A new settlement named Ebal has been established in the West Bank during the ongoing war with Iran, following a cabinet decision last year authorizing the creation of dozens of settlements in the territory.
The settlement was established by the Samaria Regional Council and the Amana settlement movement after about six months of preparations and planning, officials said.
The project received approval from Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, who recently signed the jurisdiction boundaries for the site. Residential structures were moved to the location overnight.
The cabinet approved the move in May last year as part of a broader decision authorizing the establishment of 22 settlements in the West Bank, some of them retroactively legalizing existing outposts.
Among the sites included in that decision were Homesh and Sa-Nur, settlements that were evacuated during the 2005 disengagement.
Settlement leaders in the West Bank have described the current period leading up to national elections as critical for advancing new settlements and implementing government decisions on expansion.
In addition to Ebal, another settlement named Rehavam was established about two months ago. In the coming weeks, a group of families is expected to move to Sa-Nur, where an IDF base is already operating.
Officials in the Samaria Regional Council said the establishment of Ebal is part of the “One Million in Samaria” plan promoted by council head Yossi Dagan. The initiative, developed with planners, architects, geographers and other professionals, aims to bring the population of Samaria to one million residents by 2050.
Speaking at the site, Dagan said the settlement was established in the name of the Jewish people across generations and described the land as having waited many years for Jewish settlement.
Rabbi Elyakim Levanon, the Samaria regional rabbi, also addressed the event, calling it an important day and saying the project represents another step in continuing the legacy of the biblical patriarch Abraham.
First published: 11:43, 03.11.26