Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Thursday instructed officials to accelerate the establishment of the planned settlement of Shalem in Samaria following the stabbing and suspected arson attack that took place several hours earlier near the Derech Avraham Farm.
At the same time, Smotrich directed the Civil Administration to map what he described as illegal Palestinian structures in the area and advance enforcement and demolition proceedings against them, saying the measures were intended to strengthen “governance and security in the area.”
The settlement of Shalem, which was approved by the security cabinet, is planned for the area between Elon Moreh, Beit Furik and Beit Dajan, near the farm where the attack occurred.
Derech Avraham Farm currently serves as an initial settlement outpost in the area, and the new directive is intended to advance its transformation into a formally recognized and planned community.
The move gives the cabinet’s decision immediate practical significance. Rather than leaving approval of the settlement at the declarative and planning stages, Smotrich is seeking to shorten the timetable and begin preparing the infrastructure required to commence construction.
At this stage, however, no date has been announced for construction to begin, nor have officials published the number of families expected to live there or the budget that will be allocated to the project.
Terrorists stab farmer attempting to extinguish fire on West Bank farm
The directive followed an attack in which Itamar Cohen, 51, one of the founders of the agricultural farm network in Judea and Samaria, arrived to help extinguish a fire that had broken out near Derech Avraham Farm and was stabbed.
Cohen was seriously wounded and evacuated for medical treatment. According to security officials, two Palestinians stabbed him in his upper body before they were shot dead at the scene by an Israeli civilian.
IDF troops and Israel Police launched an investigation and conducted searches in the area while examining the possibility that the fire had been deliberately set to lure residents or emergency responders to the scene. The suspected connection between the fire and the attack is still under investigation.
The planned settlement of Shalem is part of a broader government initiative to establish new communities and legalize existing settlement points in Judea and Samaria.
Under the cabinet decision, a series of settlements and outposts were approved, including sites that had previously been evacuated in northern Samaria. Some of the locations are designated as new settlements, while others are farms, neighborhoods, or outposts that the government seeks to grant independent and official status to.
From a strategic standpoint, Shalem’s location is considered particularly significant. The settlement is expected to expand the Israeli presence east of Nablus, create territorial continuity between existing settlement points, and strengthen control over roads and open areas in the region.
Supporters of the initiative argue that settlement in the area is necessary both for security reasons and to prevent what they describe as Palestinian encroachment on land.
Could the settlement cause further fragmentation?
Opponents, however, argue that establishing the settlement would further fragment the area and reduce Palestinian territorial continuity between nearby villages. They contend that using the attack as grounds for accelerating the establishment of a new settlement turns a specific security response into a long-term political initiative.
The simultaneous decision to advance the demolition of what Smotrich described as illegal Palestinian structures illustrates his effort to link the response to the attack with changes to the civilian reality on the ground. The move is presented not merely as a reactive measure but as an attempt to expand Israel’s presence in the area through settlement, planning and enforcement.
Despite the announcement, establishing a new settlement requires a series of additional procedures, including land allocation, approval of planning schemes, construction of access roads, connection to infrastructure and the establishment of security facilities.
While the directive may accelerate the initial stages of the process, the transition from cabinet approval to a permanent community remains dependent on professional, legal and budgetary approvals.
