By Pesach Benson • April 29, 2026
Jerusalem, 29 April, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Twenty years after Israel’s 2005 disengagement from northern Samaria, a new development plan for Sa-Nur received final approval on Wednesday, marking a significant step toward permanent reconstruction in the area.
The Supreme Planning Council approved an urban development framework envisioning 126 permanent housing units, moving the site from temporary living arrangements toward long-term construction.
At a ceremony at Sa-Nur the day before, Adi Gelbard, whose family was one of the 16 to move into temporary homes on Sunday, described the return as both emotional and complex. “First of all, the process is exciting,” she told The Press Service of Israel. “We end up leaving big houses and coming here as big families… it’s challenging. But the spirit is much bigger than that.”
David Fedida, another returning resident, told TPS-IL the return required more downsizing than he realized. “We are slowly getting organized,” he said. “We come from a house of 250 meters, so we have to reduce to about a third — that’s the main difficulty, deciding what to say goodbye to. But it’s nice to actually go to basics for a bit.”
The plan spans approximately 58 dunams (5.8 hectares) and includes a mix of residential building types, divided into designated zoning categories. Housing, public buildings and open green spaces will be arranged around the site’s historic Ottoman-era fortress.
“The approval of the urban development plan for Sa-Nur is a historic moment of correcting a terrible injustice. After years of struggle, we are removing the disgrace of the Disengagement Law from northern Samaria in a practical way,” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said during a ceremony at Sa-Nur on Tuesday.
“This approval is a clear message to all our enemies,” he added. “We are here to stay, Sa-Nur is returning to being an integral part of the Jewish settlement map, and this is just the beginning.”
The return of the families comes after years of political campaigning to overturn restrictions on Israeli presence in the evacuated areas. Israeli lawmakers partially repealed the disengagement law in 2023, opening the door for renewed civilian activity at the site. When Israel disengaged from Gaza in 2005, it also evacuated Sa-Nur and the nearby northern Samaria communities of Homesh, Ganim and Kadim.
“The moment they repealed the disengagement law… it was clear to us that this was the right thing. Suddenly, the whole of Samaria became our neighbors,” Gelbard said.
Adi Gelbard with daughter celebrates her return to Sa-Nur on April 28, 2026. Photo by Yoav Dudkevitch/TPS-IL
Yossi Dagan, the head of the Samaria Regional Council, was one of the Sa-Nur residents forced to leave in 2005.
“Today we are taking another historic step on the path to correcting the crime of expulsion,” Dagan said. “The approval of the urban development plan and the promotion of the construction of 126 permanent housing units in Sa-Nur are the most Zionist and ethical answer to the displacement. We promised to return home, and now we are moving into the phase of permanent construction and deepening our roots again in northern Samaria.”
Looking ahead, Sa-Nur resident Akiva Smotrich, the Finance Minister’s brother, told TPS-IL that planning is already underway for expansion. “In less than 20 years there will be a neighborhood here and another neighborhood… we are already thinking about Sa-Nur B and Sa-Nur C,” he said.
The Supreme Planning Council also gave its approval to expand the Jordan Valley communities of Neve Gedid and Moshav Masua.
