Jewish families moved into eight homes in the Jericho area following a secret purchase, the Binyamin Regional Council and the Nachala Movement said in a joint statement on Wednesday.
The Israel Defense Forces told JNS the entry took place “without prior coordination or authorization” from the army. It said the relevant authorities were examining the purchase and its security implications.
“The IDF is currently operating in the area,” the military added. “Further details will be provided later.”
A military source told JNS that the homes are in Area C of Judea and Samaria, which is under full Israeli civil and security control.
The city of Jericho is in Area A, where the Palestinian Authority manages civil and security affairs.
The Binyamin Regional Council and the Nachala Movement said the homes are built on state-owned land, including on the outskirts of Jericho, near the Hasmonean palaces archaeological site.
The groups said the purchase, which is backed by ownership documents, was kept secret until the families entered, and had been carried out “under the nose of the Palestinian Authority.”
The statement called Jericho a city “abandoned” by the Jewish state under the Oslo Accords.
“We are dismantling the Oslo Accords through our actions; we are returning home,” said Binyamin Regional Council head Yisrael Gantz, who also chairs the Yesha Council, the umbrella group representing Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria.
Gantz recalled entering Jericho as a 16-year-old protester on the night Israel transferred control of the city to the P.A.
“Today, I have a 16-year-old son, and I have the privilege of accompanying families as they return to build a home here,” he said.
Nachala chairwoman Daniella Weiss called the move “a major step toward renewing Jewish settlement in Jewish cities,” saying the initiative aims to return Jewish life to cities across Judea and Samaria.
“Families are working to fulfill the verse: ‘And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets,’” she added, citing Zechariah 8:5.
According to the Bible, Jericho, the fortified “city of palm trees,” was the first town the Israelites conquered in the Land of Israel after crossing the Jordan River.
In 1994, Jericho became the first city in Judea and Samaria handed over to the P.A. The transfer came with a promise that the new Palestinian security forces would let Jewish pilgrims safely visit two Byzantine-era synagogues in the greater Jericho area.
The P.A. has largely failed to honor its commitments. On Oct. 12, 2000, early in the Second Intifada, rioters torched the Shalom Al Yisrael synagogue, burned holy books and damaged its ancient mosaic floor.
According to Jewish tradition, the synagogue was built where an angel told Joshua: “Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy” (Joshua 5:15).
