Six New Farms Established, Two Communities Approved in Hebron Hills After Terror Attack
Six new farms have been established in the Hebron Hills and two additional communities approved following Friday’s terror attack in Hebron, the Hebron Hills Regional Council said.
The council presented the steps as its response to the attack, bringing the initiative to eight new settlement sites: six farms already standing on the ground and two communities that have received approval.
A response to Friday’s attack
The announcement follows the attack near Yehuda Junction outside Hebron on Friday morning, October 23, when two terrorists opened fire on an IDF checkpoint. Soldiers from the Home Front Command’s Ari Battalion stopped the attackers and eliminated both of them.
“A serious attack against Israeli civilians was prevented this morning thanks to the bravery of IDF soldiers,” IDF Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth said at the scene.
Two of the soldiers, Staff Sgt. Ron Yonatan Roytman, 23, and Sgt. Yuval Shai Svilem, 20, later died of their wounds. The IDF said the terrorists were carrying a large quantity of ammunition, and its initial assessment is that they intended to reach Route 35 and attack Israeli civilians. The army has since launched a counterterrorism operation and a cordon around Hebron and Halhul. Read our report on the soldiers who stopped the attack.
Six farms in Area C
The Hebron Hills Regional Council represents Jewish communities in southern Judea, in the hills south of Hebron. According to the council, the six farms are located in Area C and are being established in coordination with the relevant authorities. Under the Oslo Accords, Area C is the part of Judea and Samaria that remains under full Israeli civil and security control.
Agricultural farms are used across the Hebron Hills to cultivate and hold open land. By tying the new farms directly to the attack, the council placed a civilian presence on the ground at the center of its answer to terrorism.
Two more communities approved
Alongside the farms, two additional communities have received approval, paving the way for permanent homes alongside the agricultural sites already on the ground. Together with the six farms, they bring the initiative to eight new sites in the Hebron Hills.
The approvals form the next stage of the initiative: the farms are already operating, while the two communities are set to follow.
Building after terror
Friday’s attack struck close to home for residents of the Hebron Hills. Route 35, where the terrorists are believed to have been heading, is one of the main roads they travel every day.
For the council, the answer to the attack is to strengthen its hold on the land rather than retreat from it: six new farms on the ground now, and two new communities approved to follow.
