IDF Takes First Step in Regularizing Two Young Settlements in Judea and Samaria

Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, head of the IDF Central Command, signed an order regulating the boundaries of the Judea and Samaria villages of Adorayim and Ahiya.

The legalization of the nascent communities—located in the South Hebron Hills of Judea and the Binyamin region of southern Samaria, respectively—allows for their further expansion and development, Arutz 7 reported on Thursday.

The military order that establishes the so-called “jurisdiction zone,” or municipal boundaries, is the first step in legalizing the communities.

The next and final step is the issuing of an official “settlement symbol” by the Interior Ministry, after which the outposts will be considered legal Israeli communities for all intents and purposes.

Ahiya local committee head Shlomo Toledano told Arutz 7 on Thursday, “This is a great day for Ahiya and for the entire community. With our own eyes, we see [Isaiah’s] prophecy fulfilled: ‘They shall build houses and dwell in them; they shall plant vineyards and enjoy their fruit.’

“Precisely on Tu B’Shevat, we enjoy the sweet fruits of dedicating our souls to the Land of Israel,” the local leader added, in reference to the Jewish New Year of the Trees, which was marked on Thursday.

A spokesman for Adorayim told the outlet, “The symbolic timing of receiving the announcement on Tu B’Shevat, a holiday of the Land of Israel and its holiness, is amazing and teaches us about our great mission to settle in all parts of our country.

“We hope that following the declaration of the jurisdiction, we will quickly receive the symbol of settlement and become an official community in the State of Israel,” the spokesman concluded.

The Jewish population of the Judea and Samaria area grew by 12,297 in 2024, according to a report published last month by the Yesha Council umbrella group of Jewish communities. As of Jan. 1, 529,704 Israelis live in the territory, amounting to 5.28% of the population of the Jewish state.

Nearly 70% of Israelis want Jerusalem to extend its full legal sovereignty over the disputed area, according to a survey published late last month.