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Israelis return to West Bank settlement closed for over 20 years
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia /Conflict & Security

Israelis return to West Bank settlement closed for over 20 years

From Asharq Al-Awsat · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • Israelis have begun repopulating the West Bank settlement of Kadim, the last of four evacuated over 20 years ago.
  • The move follows the recent reopening of the neighboring settlement of Ganim and aligns with the current government's settlement expansion policy.
  • This re-establishment is seen as a "historic milestone" by settler leaders and a "rectification" by the finance minister, who vowed to establish more settlements.

Israelis have started returning to the West Bank settlement of Kadim, the final of four communities evacuated by Israel over two decades ago. The repopulation began on Thursday, according to the local settler council, marking a significant step in the current government's policy of rapid settlement expansion in the occupied Palestinian territory.

At this very moment, the families of the pioneering settler core are moving into Kadim, a community that was uprooted during the disengagement.

— Samaria regional councilDescribing the return of settlers to Kadim.

This development comes just a week after Israel officially reopened the neighboring settlement of Ganim. The Samaria regional council, which oversees Israeli settlements in the northern West Bank, hailed the return to Kadim as a "historic milestone." Families of the original settlers have begun moving into Kadim, a community that was dismantled during the 2005 disengagement plan under former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. This plan also led to the evacuation of all Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip.

Twenty-one years after the crime of the expulsion from northern Samaria, today we have completed the rectification.

— Bezalel SmotrichCommenting on the re-establishment of the Kadim settlement.

Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria regional council, accompanied the approximately 30 families moving to Kadim. Smotrich stated that the return marked the completion of a "rectification" 21 years after the "crime of the expulsion" from northern Samaria. He further asserted that these communities serve as a vital security buffer for Israel and pledged to establish 19 new settlements in the northern West Bank.

These communities constitute a real security buffer for the entire State of Israel.

— Bezalel SmotrichJustifying the importance of the settlements for Israeli security.

Dagan expressed a strong sense of homecoming, stating, "We have come home, and this time to stay and grow twentyfold." He added, "We are raising the flag again, closing the circle, and continuing to build Samaria with full force." Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967. Today, over 500,000 Israelis reside in settlements within the territory, which are considered illegal under international law, alongside approximately three million Palestinians.

We have come home, and this time to stay and grow twentyfold.

— Yossi DaganExpressing the determination of settlers to remain and expand.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Asharq Al-Awsat in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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