The Mount Hebron Regional Council said on Wednesday it had laid the cornerstone for a new community, Doran, in western Judea, describing the project as part of a broader plan to expand Jewish communities in the area.
In a statement posted on Facebook, the council said the new community is intended to create “a settlement sequence” linking communities between Talem and Adora in the north and the Beersheva Valley in the south, calling the area of “high strategic importance.”
The ceremony was attended by Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz and Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, along with other officials and regional leaders, the council said.
עוד יישוב חדש קם: הנחת אבן הפינה ליישוב החדש דורן על אדמת הר חברון 🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱
— בצלאל סמוטריץ' (@bezalelsm) June 16, 2026
אנחנו ממשיכים לבנות עוד ועוד יישובים חדשים, לחזק את ההתיישבות, להעמיק את אחיזתנו בארץ ישראל ולתקן את העיוותים ההיסטוריים שנוצרו בשנות אוסלו.
בסופו של דבר, כל המהלכים האלה מובילים לאותה נקודה - חיזוק… pic.twitter.com/SeZDlSBbEl
Council head Eliram Azulai said the project would “strengthen the grip” of Israel in the area and enhance security. Katz said Israel would “continue to build, settle and get stronger,” while Smotrich described the expansion of Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria as key to national security.
“Anyone who looks from here toward the coastal plain understands well that Judea and Samaria are not a distant periphery,” said Smotrich. “They are the security belt of the State of Israel. The security of Kfar Saba, Ra’anana, Modi’in, and Beersheva begins here as well.”
