Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defense Minister Israel Katz announced the establishment of 22 new settlements in Judea and Samaria. This follows the security cabinet's secret approval of the settlements, including the re-establishment of Homesh and Sa-Nur, after ynet obtained a list of these settlements. "This is a great day for settlement and an important day for the State of Israel, settlement in our ancestral homeland is the protective wall of the State of Israel," said Smotrich. Katz added: "This historic decision strengthens our hold and provides a crushing response to Palestinian terrorism."