Israel re-establishes closed West Bank settlement

A new generation of Israeli settlers has returned to the Kadim settlement on a hillside in the occupied West Bank, two decades after the location was closed by a previous government. Settlers arrived in small groups, with some escorted by the military and driving cars adorned with blue and white Israeli flags past Palestinian villages and farmlands, dragging trailers loaded with bedding, furniture, and building materials.

The Israeli government has officially overturned a 20-year ban on Jewish settlements surrounding Jenin, prompting severe concern among local Palestinian residents. All Israeli settlements and outposts are considered illegal under international law, and while outposts are also illegal under domestic Israeli law, they frequently receive state services and funding.

The reopening follows the opening of bids for sensitive settlement projects, attended by senior Israeli officials including the Justice Minister and the Speaker of the Knesset, alongside regional council head Yossi Dagan who vowed that settlers would eventually return to Gaza as well. Kadim was originally evacuated in 2005 under a unilateral Disengagement Plan that dismantled four settlements in the northern West Bank due to high security costs and low strategic value.

Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event

In recent weeks, white trailer homes have reappeared on the hilltop to accommodate returning families, although media access to the opening ceremony was denied. Speaking with a local 53-year-old Palestinian vegetable farmer who has lived in the area since childhood, he recalled watching the settlement's original construction and subsequent evacuation two decades ago.