The Supreme Planning Council of the Israeli Defense Ministry’s Civil Administration on Thursday approved the construction of more than 1,300 housing units in the western Samaria community of Kedumim.
The 1,338 homes in the planned Nahalat Esther neighborhood will more than double the size of Kedumim, which currently has some 4,850 residents living in around 1,050 households, Israel National News reported. The roughly 60-acre neighborhood will feature a green valley at its center.
In total, the Kedumim Local Council is planning 3,000 homes in four planned neighborhoods, according to the report.
Kedumin Local Council head Oziel Vatik welcomed the final approval of Nahalat Esther, calling it a “historic day” in the community’s 50th year.
“We are setting out on a new path of growth, construction and renewal, for the benefit of the founding generation and for generations to come,” he said. “Kedumim, a pioneer of settlement in Samaria, is now rising to the next level of development as it continues to grow, expand and lead.”
Vatik in the statement thanked Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a resident of Kedumim who also serves as a minister in the Defense Ministry responsible for civilian matters in Judea and Samaria.
Smotrich and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have led an unprecedented drive to expand Israel’s hold on Judea and Samaria.
Over the past 24 months, the two leaders oversaw the establishment of 69 communities, approved more than 60,000 housing units and classified tens of thousands of hectares of land as state property.
Describing the often-disputed region as the security backbone of the nation, Smotrich said Jerusalem would continue to expand its grip on Judea and Samaria, including through a construction boom.
“We are changing all the services the state provides there, because it is part of Israel, part of the State of Israel,” Smotrich added, “and with God’s help, this can never be changed.”
Nearly 70% of Israelis want Jerusalem to extend full legal sovereignty to Judea and Samaria, according to a 2025 survey.
Fifty-eight percent of Israeli Jews believe that communities in Judea and Samaria contribute to the security of the country, according to a survey the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI) published on March 11, 2025.
