3,600 housing units in the first stage: new city project in Gush Etzion advances

The new city of Mishmar Yehuda continues to advance: an additional 370 dunams were declared state land this Monday morning for the purpose of urban development, bringing the total area allocated for the project to approximately 3,750 dunams. Simultaneously, a master plan for the construction of about 3,600 housing units is currently underway.

This declaration marks another milestone in the realization of one of the largest settlement projects currently being promoted in the region, located in the northeast of Gush Etzion in close proximity to Jerusalem. The location of Mishmar Yehuda is intended to strengthen the settlement presence east of the capital and establish a significant new residential hub.

The project is being advanced as part of the policy of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, in cooperation with the Gush Etzion Regional Council, led by Yaron Rosenthal.

The establishment of Mishmar Yehuda was approved by the Security Cabinet in February 2023. Since then, a series of implementation steps have been taken: the GOC Central Command signed the jurisdiction area, the Ministry of Interior assigned a settlement code, and in December 2025, a declaration of 3,380 dunams of state land was published.

"This is a critical move for the settlement. First and foremost, it will allow for the establishment of a large city with tens of thousands of housing units. It will dramatically strengthen the entire Jerusalem envelope area from the east and provide a huge response to the housing crisis for tens of thousands of young couples," said Smotrich.

According to the minister, the current strategy focuses on building and expanding. The head of the Gush Etzion Regional Council, Yaron Rosenthal, emphasized the regional significance of the move, noting that the new city will help expand the Jewish presence in the Ma'ale Adumim bloc while providing thousands of housing units.