All six established towns, some dating to the early 1990s, with hundreds of residents, have received retroactive authorization.
The Binyamin Regional Council in Samaria on Tuesday announced the “historic” official legalization of six former outposts by the government. Ahiya, Harasha, Migron, Nofei Prat, Adei Ad and Shvut Rachel have been “fully regularized and recognized as official towns” by Israel’s Interior Ministry, the council, which administers communities in southern Samaria, said in a Hebrew-language statement.
“Following years of struggle, effort and challenges, these towns are now formally recognized, with ‘settlement symbols’ and full recognition by the State of Israel,” it said. “This is a significant achievement, especially for the young settlement, which has maintained faith and determination over the years, despite harsh weather conditions and many obstacles.”
Binyamin Regional Council leader Israel Ganz thanked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who also oversees civilian issues in Judea and Samaria as part of his secondary role as a minister in the Defense Ministry. “We continue building and settling with full strength!” Ganz concluded. Ahiya, Adei Ad, Nofei Prat received Israeli Cabinet approvalin May, while Harasha, Migron and Shvut Rachel are neighborhoods of existing communities that were split off by a March 22 Cabinet decision. (Read More)
