Israel on Thursday legalized five nascent Jewish communities in Samaria and the Jordan Valley.

The five Jewish communities that received recognition are Havat Gilad (Gilad Farm), Mount Ebal and Maoz Tzvi in the Samaria Regional Council area, and Tamara and Machane Gadi in the Jordan Valley Regional Council area.

Havat Gilad, which was founded in 2002, first received Cabinet approval in February 2018, while the outposts of Maoz Tzvi, Mount Ebal, Tamara and Machane Gadi received the government’s OK in a May 2025 vote.

Now, the Interior Ministry has issued official “settlement symbols” for the towns, turning them into legal villages for all intents and purposes.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who also serves as a second minister in the Defense Ministry with responsibility for civilian matters in Judea and Samaria, welcomed the Interior Ministry announcement.

“In approximately two months, we managed to approve 25 settlement symbols, thereby completing regularization processes that have taken years,” he stated. “This is the result of the efforts of many partners.

“Settlement in Judea and Samaria continues to expand and grow with full force. We are killing the idea of a Palestinian state and preventing the establishment of a terror state that would endanger Israel,” the minister added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has led an unprecedented drive to expand control of Judea and Samaria, approving some 50,000 homes and over 50 Jewish communities since December 2022.

Nearly 70% of Israeli citizens want Jerusalem to extend its full legal sovereignty over the region, according to a poll from January 2025.

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