Israel Declares 183 Dunams as State Land in Gush Etzion Settlement Expansion
Israel has declared 183 additional dunams as state land in Gush Etzion for the Pnei Kedem and Bar Kochba communities, aiming to secure infrastructure and housing plans.
Israel declared 183 additional dunams as state land in Gush Etzion on Monday, designated for the communities of Pnei Kedem and Bar Kochba. The announcement aims to secure access roads for Pnei Kedem and create contiguous land to advance the planning of hundreds of housing units in Bar Kochba.
Advancing Settlement Planning
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich spearheaded the initiative, which marks one of the final major settlement-planning measures ahead of the upcoming Knesset elections. The process combines municipal efforts to establish new communities on the ground with administrative steps to regularize and expand them.
The 183 dunams are split between the two sites: 64 dunams are allocated to Bar Kochba, whose establishment was approved by the security cabinet in June 2024, while 119 dunams are dedicated to formalizing the access route for Pnei Kedem, a young community existing for over two decades.
Official Responses
"This is a very important step for the settlement movement, strengthening the southern perimeter of Jerusalem and providing housing solutions for hundreds of young couples," stated Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
Gush Etzion Regional Council head Yaron Rosenthal praised the collaborative effort, emphasizing that land surveys remain a top priority to secure the ongoing development of communities in the region.
