Land allocation approved for first new West Bank settlement to be built since 2017
Lauding declaration of Nahal Heletz’s borders, Smotrich says he’s ‘establishing facts on the ground’ as part of ‘my life’s mission’ to prevent Palestinian state, expand settlements
Jeremy Sharon is The Times of Israel’s legal affairs and settlements reporter
The plot of land for the first West Bank settlement to be established from scratch since 2017 has been formally designated by the Civil Administration, in a step which allots some 148 acres of land for the new community southwest of Jerusalem and west of Bethlehem.
The establishment of Nahal Heletz was formally approved by the government in June this year along with the retroactive legalization of four West Bank outposts.
The military order, which was issued on Tuesday and announced on Wednesday, amended the original state land designation in the area, ultimately slashing 26 acres from the 174 originally that were originally allotted.
Anyone claiming to be adversely affected by the boundary changes has 45 days to file an appeal to an appeals committee.
The order was lauded by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who advanced the establishment of the settlement, and said it would help connect Jerusalem to the Gush Etzion region of the West Bank, adding that he would continue to “fight against” a Palestinian state by “establishing facts on the ground,” such as Nahal Heletz.
The Peace Now organization, which campaigns against the settlements condemned the designation, saying the location of Nahal Heletz was designed to interrupt Palestinian territorial contiguity in the area, was a further step toward “de facto annexation” of the West Bank, and that the settlement would be located on a UNESCO world heritage site as well.
Zoning plans and construction permits will still need to be obtained before construction on the new settlement can begin, a process that typically takes several years.
“Connecting Gush Etzion and Jerusalem by establishing a new settlement is an historic moment,” said Smotrich, who as an additional minister in the Defense Ministry has sweeping powers over civilian affairs in the West Bank.
“No anti-Israelism or anti-Zionism will stop the continued development of the settlements. We will continue to fight the dangerous idea of a Palestinian state, and establish facts on the ground. This is my life’s mission and God willing I will continue with it as much as I can.”
Peace Now accused Smotrich of advancing a “de facto annexation” plan of the West Bank, and said that the location of Nahal Heletz was intentionally chosen to disrupt the territorial contiguity between numerous Palestinian villages in the region with a population of approximately 25,000 people, including Batir Wallajah, Husan, Beit Jala and al-Khader.
It will also help cut off these Palestinian villages from Jerusalem, along with the Sde Boaz settlement that was retroactively legalized by the government in February 2023, by creating a settlement contiguity from Jerusalem through Nahal Heletz to Sde Boaz and along to the Gush Etzion bloc.
Peace Now said the boundaries of the land designated for Nahal Heletz are extremely convoluted, and could result in Palestinians being blocked from accessing their private land even if the settlement itself does not include those areas.
The organization noted that the new settlement will be built on land it said belongs to Battir, and which was designated as a UNESCO world heritage site in 2014 under the name “Palestine: Land of Olives and Vines – Cultural Landscape of Southern Jerusalem, Battir” for the area’s ancient agricultural stone terraces.
Peace Now also said that in past negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians for the establishment of a Palestinian state, it was tacitly agreed that the Gush Etzion region would become part of Israel while the Bethlehem region would have territorial contiguity for the Palestinians.
“Smotrich continues to promote de facto annexation, shows contempt for the UNESCO charter that Israel is a signatory to, and we will all pay the price,” said the organization. “The settlement which will be established will be an enclave in a Palestinian zone, and will bring about friction and security challenges.”
