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Approval of 5,255 Units and the Establishment of 3 New Settlements

The Higher Planning Council (HPC) approved today and yesterday (3-4/7/24) the advancement of 5,255 housing units in dozens of settlements throughout the West Bank. The building plans include the expansion of settlements deep within the West Bank and the legalization of three outposts (without connection to the 5 outposts approved by the Cabinet last week): Mahane Gadi, Givat Hanan (Susya East), and Kedem Arava as “neighborhoods” of existing settlements.

For the first time since the establishment of the Settlement Administration by Minister Smotrich, the legal advisor to the HPC was a civilian and not an officer as in the past. Additionally, present in the audience were members of the Settlement Administration; Hillel Roth, the Civilian Deputy appointed by Minister Smotrich and one of the legal advisors of the administration.

The council’s agenda included plans for more than 6,000 housing units. Ultimately, the number of units approved stands at 5,255 because only the initial planning stage was approved for some of the plans. For example, in the plan for the Gva’ot settlement, where 1,006 housing units are planned, only 250 units were brought for approval.

Peace Now: “Netanyahu and Smotrich’s agenda became evident through the decisions of the Planning Council: approval for thousands of housing units, the establishment of three new settlements, and strategic appointments of Smotrich’s allies in key roles instead of military personnel underscore the annexation occurring in the West Bank. Our government continues to change the rules of the game in the occupied West Bank, leading to irreversible harm. While the north is neglected and citizens across the country are abandoned, with 120 hostages still in Gaza, the process of annexation and land theft continues to expand, contrary to Israeli interests. This annexationist government severely undermines the security and future of both Israelis and Palestinians, and the cost of this recklessness will be paid for generations to come. We must bring down the government before it’s too late.”

For the full list of approved plans, see below.

Among the plans that were approved:

Machane Gadi (Plan 312/6/1) – An outpost established in 2018 as an educational complex and pre-military academy, located north of the Masu’a settlement in structures previously used as a military camp. The plan for 260 housing units was approved for deposit and effectively established a new settlement by legalizing the outpost as a “neighborhood” of the Masu’a settlement.

Kedem Arava (Plan 612) – The agenda included a plan formally belonging to the new settlement “Beit Hogla,” which was approved by the cabinet in February 2023 as the legalization of an illegal outpost. It has now become clear that the new settlement approved by the cabinet includes not only the “Beit Hogla” outpost but also the “Kedem Arava” outpost, located approximately 1.5 km south of it. The plan approved for deposit is for the construction of 316 housing units in Kedem Arava.

Givat Hanan (Susya East) (Plan 513/5) – The approval of the plan for the deposit of 107 housing units in the Susya settlement is actually intended to legalize the Givat Hanan outpost, which was illegally established in 2019. The outpost is located across an intercity road, disconnected from the Susya settlement. However, to avoid the need to declare a new settlement, it was decided to consider it a “neighborhood” of Susya and plan the construction of a bridge over intercity Road 317 to connect the two settlements.

Gvaot (Plan 418/2/1/A) – The Gvaot settlement is also formally considered a “neighborhood” of the Alon Shvut settlement, even though it is 3 km away. The original plan is to build 1,006 housing units, but the HPC only approved Phase 1 of the plan, which includes 250 housing units. The Ministry of Housing is working on plans to establish a city there with tens of thousands of housing units.

Yakir (Plan 118/1/A) – Another significant plan is the establishment of a new neighborhood with 168 housing units for the Yakir settlement. The planned neighborhood is located beyond the access road to the settlement and involves the evacuation of a military base. The plan also connects to the Havat Yair outpost, which is also in the process of legalization as a “neighborhood” of Yakir.

Neria (Plan 235/13/1) – A plan for the construction of 436 housing units in the Neria settlement (officially considered a “neighborhood” of the Talmon settlement) west of Ramallah. This represents a significant expansion of the settlement deep in the West Bank in an area known as “Gush Talmonim,” where thousands of housing units have been approved in recent years and outposts have been legalized (such as Horesh Yaron, Haresha, Kerem Re’im, and Zayit Ra’anan). Recently, Minister Smotrich announced the advancement of a new bypass road intended to facilitate the planned growth in these settlements.

Overall, it was decided to advance 3,080 housing units for deposit and 2,175 housing units for validation.

List of the plans approved by the HPC on 3-4/7/24:

Settlement Plan Number Stage Approved Housing Units
Immanuel 120/4/1 Validation 170
Immanuel 120/13 Validation 96
Negohot 521/ב/1 Validation 158
Hagai 517/2 Depositing 135
Susya (Givat Hanan) 513/5 Depositing 107
Modiin Illit 210/4/2/6 Depositing 300
Elkana 125/2/9 Depositing 8
Kiryat Arba 510/3/14 Validation 140
Kiryat Arba 510/22/3 Validation 25
Givat Zeev 220/1/ג Depositing 5
Givat Zeev 220/1/ג Depositing 5
Givat Zeev 220/21/10 Depositing 3
Givat Zeev 220/10/31 Depositing 12
Givat Zeev 220/30/10 Depositing 4
Givat Zeev 220/32/10 Depositing 195
Givat Zeev 220/28 Validation 228
Etz Efraim 126/16 Validation 12
Etz Efraim 126/8/2 Depositing 24
Shaarei Tikva 122/7 Validation 6
Masu’a (Machane Gadi) 312/1/6 Depositing 260
Shilo 205/25 Depositing 90
Almon (Anatot) 226/2/ע Validation 91
Mitzpe Yericho 228/5 Validation 365
Neria 235/1/13 Depositing 436
Eli 237/8 Validation 24
Ganei Modiin 208/1/13/8 Validation 46
Heit Hogla (Kedem Arava) 612 Depositing 316
Maale Shomron (Elamatan) 116/3/5 Depositing 120
Elon Moreh 107/1/8 Validation 186
Tzofim 149/14 Validation 74
Pduel 160/12 Depositing 25
Pduel 160/11 Depositing 12
Revava 170/10/4 Depositing 16
Kiryat Netafim 129/6 Depositing 136
Yakir 118/א/1 Depositing 168
Gva’ot 418/2/1/א Depositing 250
Nokdim 411/12 Validation 290
Mitzad (Asfar) 414/2/5 Validation 6
Beitar Illit 426/7/19/ב Depositing 98
Beitar Illit 426/7/2/3/א Depositing 28
Beitar Illit 426/7/4/א Depositing 184
Beitar Illit 426/7/2/2/א Depositing 143
Beitar Illit 426/21/3/1/ב Validation 184
Beitar Illit 426/7/16/ב Validation 26
Beitar Illit 426/7/17/ב Validation 48
Toal 5,255