Dozens of Israelis held a rare prayer service in the former Jewish town of Sa-Nur in northern Samaria under Israel Defense Forces protection on Sunday morning, in the first large-scale visit since the Knesset repealed the 2005 Disengagement Law that banned dwelling in the area.
The visit—led by a group that included former Sa-Nur residents who were removed from their homes and students of the Homesh Yeshivah—took place without any security incidents, the Arutz 7 outlet reported.
“We were always warned that it was impossible to pass through the [Arab] village of Silat ad-Dhah on the way to Sa-Nur,” said Yitzhak Zuckerman, one of the activists seeking to resettle the community.
“They always said that it was a dangerous area where Jews could not be allowed to be, and yet this morning, not a single stone was thrown at us, and the visit passed peacefully and calmly,” added the rights activist.
Zuckerman praised the IDF, “which demonstrated determination, made the visit possible, and most important, showed that if there is a will, it has the power to easily secure a Jewish community in northern Samaria that will directly contribute to security throughout the Land [of Israel].”
He called on Defense Minister Israel Katz to allow all Israelis to reside and rebuild the destroyed villages of Sa-Nur, Ganim and Kadim.
“The Disengagement Law was repealed long ago; there is no security impediment, there’s only a general’s order issued by the previous commander [of the IDF Central Command] that can be repealed with a wave of a pen,” Zuckerman said.
עשרות יהודים בהם רבנים ותלמידים מישיבת חומש ביקרו הבוקר בישוב החרב שאנור שפונה בגירוש. הביקור שהתרחש לאור יום לראשונה מתחילת המלחמה עבר בשקט וללא אירועים מיוחדים. "חוק ההתנתקות בוטל, אפילו אבן אחת לא נזרקה בדרך, אין שום מניעה לשוב מחדש לצפון השומרון כבר מחר" pic.twitter.com/Tx2Iokg63q
— שיראל ללום נהיר🇮🇱🧡 (@shirellaloom) January 12, 2025
The 2005 disengagement entailed the evacuation and destruction of the villages of Homesh, Sa-Nur, Ganim and Kadim in northern Samaria, in addition to 21 Jewish communities in the Gaza Strip.
On March 21, 2023, the Knesset voted 31-18 to repeal parts of the law banning Israelis from entering and residing in the four Samaria towns.
However, while the ban on dwelling in Homesh was subsequently lifted, the IDF has yet to green-light the return to Sa-Nur, Ganim and Kadim.
Because Jerusalem has failed to formally extend its sovereignty over Judea and Samaria since liberating the area in the 1967 Six-Day War, laws passed by the Israeli legislature do not apply until the head of the IDF Central Command signs off on them.
Shortly before he left the post on July 8, Maj. Gen. Yehuda Fox extended the ban on entering the three remaining communities until 2028, claiming that the “security preparations” in the area have yet to be completed.
