Full Breakdown
Israel Approves 126 New Homes in Re-established Sa-Nur Settlement
4/30/2026, 11:40:32 AM
Approval of 126 Housing Units in Sa-Nur
The Higher Planning Committee of the Civil Administration, under the Defense Ministry, approved 126 permanent homes in Sa-Nur, a settlement in northern Samaria (West Bank). The decision follows a May 2025 government authorization that allowed 16 families to move into prefabricated homes earlier this month.
Background and Timeline
In 2005 Israel’s disengagement evacuated Sa-Nur and three nearby settlements. The Security Cabinet approved 22 new villages, including Sa-Nur, in May 2025. Sixteen families moved into temporary caravans on April 19 2025, and the planning committee approved 126 permanent homes in June 2025.
Key Actors
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, overseeing civilian affairs in Judea and Samaria, led the approval. Yossi Dagan, Samaria District Council chairman and former Sa-Nur resident, is among the families on site. The planning body is called either the Higher Planning Committee or the Supreme Planning Council. Peace Now opposes the plan.
Data
126 homes approved; 16 families in temporary housing; 4 settlements evacuated in 2005; 22 new villages approved in May 2025; 21 Gaza towns also evacuated in 2005.
Official Statements
The government frames the approval as a strategic affirmation of Israel’s presence in the West Bank. Smotrich says the decision shows permanence, counters the disengagement law’s legacy, and fulfills promises to regulate settlements and build the land. Officials describe the plan as a lawful exercise of civil-administrative authority in Judea and Samaria.
Criticism
Peace Now warns Sa-Nur’s remote location makes it a “security burden” and argues taxpayers would fund a “dangerous messianic delusion.” The group calls the project reckless and likely to impose long-term costs on Israeli society.
Conflicting Reports
One source calls the approving body the “Higher Planning Committee of the Civil Administration,” while another names it the “Supreme Planning Council of the Israeli Defense Ministry’s Civil Administration.” Both refer to the same June 2025 approval, but the naming difference is not explained.
Verbatim Quotes
- “This approval is a clear message to our enemies: We are here to stay, Sa-Nur is returning to be an inseparable part of the map of Jewish settlements, and this is just the beginning,” — Bezalel Smotrich, Finance Minister
- “After a years-long struggle, we’re practically removing the disgrace of the Disengagement Law in northern Samaria. We promised to regulate the settlement and build the land—and we are delivering,” — Bezalel Smotrich
- “It is inconceivable that after almost three years of war, the Israeli taxpayer should finance a dangerous messianic delusion of a government that has long since lost the people’s trust. We will all pay the price for this reckless abandonment.” — Peace Now spokesperson
What’s Next
Construction of the 126 homes should begin in late 2026, with infrastructure upgrades. International observers will monitor legal compliance, while Israeli opposition groups plan legal challenges.
