Today, Sunday, the Israeli government reopened the “Sanur” settlement, located in the northern West Bank, two decades after its evacuation, in a step with important political and security implications, and coincided with statements rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state and demands for the re-settlement in the Gaza Strip.
The settlement’s reopening ceremony witnessed the participation of a number of ministers and members of the Knesset, noting that this settlement had been evacuated in 2005 as part of the Israeli “disengagement” plan.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said, “This day represents a historic correction of the illegal expulsion process,” and added: “We are abolishing the shame of separation, burying the idea of a Palestinian state, and returning to settlement in Sanur.”
Smotrich also called for the restoration of settlement in the Gaza Strip, considering it a “security belt” for Israel.
It should be noted that the current Israeli government, which is considered among the most right-wing governments in the history of Israel, has agreed to rebuild four settlements in the northern West Bank that were evacuated in 2005. It has already been approved to build 126 housing units in “Sanur” alone.
Pictures from the site showed prefabricated white homes lined up on a green hill, while Israeli media reported that 16 families had already moved into the re-established settlement over the past few days, including the family of Yossi Dagan, head of the Northern West Bank Settlements Council.
Dagan declared after cutting the ribbon, saying: “Today we are making history… This marks the end of a stage,” adding: “We swore: Sanur, no more uprooting, no more withdrawals. We have returned to stay.”
It is noteworthy that “Sanour” was a Palestinian village located southwest of the city of Jenin, and it was evacuated as part of the disengagement plan, which also included Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and three other settlements in the West Bank.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967, and more than 500,000 Israelis live in settlements in the West Bank, excluding East Jerusalem, along with about 3 million Palestinians. The United Nations considers the settlements illegal under international law.
Recent years have witnessed an escalation in the pace of settlement expansion, with the current government agreeing to build 54 settlements in 2025 alone, a record number according to the Peace Now organization. The construction of more than 100 settlements has also been approved since the current government took power in 2022, amid escalating political and security tensions in the Palestinian territories.
