A significant step for the settlement movement: The Civil Administration’s Enforcement Unit, which operates under Minister Bezalel Smotrich, removed dozens of threats to the new communities in Samaria and the Mount Hebron area on Wednesday morning, as part of a special operation carried out under the minister’s policy of fortifying and strengthening the settlement enterprise.
As part of the operation, illegal encroachments and plantings covering 20 dunams of state land near the community of Makeda, which was established in the Mount Hebron area, were removed, along with structures erected near the community of Shira in Samaria, which is expected to become a city following a Cabinet decision spearheaded by Smotrich.
The operation is part of a broader effort to restore Israeli governance and control on the ground, including declaring new communities, advancing their statutory planning procedures, establishing settlement groups on the ground, and enforcing the law against illegal construction – with the aim of enabling the communities to take root and develop.
AFSI Insight
This enforcement operation is an important step toward establishing a stronger Israeli presence and protecting new Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria. Removing illegal structures and encroachments that threaten these communities demonstrates that enforcement matters—not only for law and order, but also for Israel’s ability to maintain control of strategically important areas. The operation near Shira and Makeda underscores the need to protect, develop and strengthen Israel’s communities rather than allow illegal construction to determine facts on the ground.
Source (removed from Arutz Sheva website as of 9/17/2026):
Enforcement operation around new communities, by Israel National News, September 16, 2026