Israel reopens West Bank settlement despite international opposition

After two decades, Israeli settlers have returned to Kadim, near Jenin, following the government's decision to lift a ban on settlement in the area. The return has sparked fear and concern among Palestinian residents, as the Israeli government continues to expand settlements in the West Bank.

A new generation of Israeli settlers has returned to Kadim, in the occupied West Bank, two decades after it was closed by a previous Israeli government.

According to the regional council of settlers, 30 "pioneer families" arrived in the settlement from Tel Aviv, spurred by the wave of Jewish nationalism that is gaining momentum under the current Israeli government.

They arrived in small groups, some under military escort. Israeli blue and white flags fluttered from their cars as they passed Palestinian villages and farmland. Some of them were in trailers loaded with beds, furniture and construction materials.

The Israeli government has lifted a 20-year ban on Jewish settlement construction in the area around Jenin. Palestinian residents are looking with fear at this new push for Israeli settlement expansion.

All Israeli colonies and settlements built by settlers in the West Bank are considered illegal under international law. These settlements are also illegal under Israeli law, although they are often supported by state services and funds.

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"21 years after the crime of expulsion from Northern Samaria, we have completed the correction and returned to the Kadim settlement," Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich declared during the opening ceremony, using the biblical term for the northern part of the West Bank.

At his side were the Minister of Justice, the Speaker of the Knesset, and Yossi Dagan, the head of the regional council of settlers, who has also promised that one day Israeli settlers will return to Gaza.

Kadim is located on a small hill on the outskirts of the Palestinian city of Jenin. The settlement was evacuated in 2005 by a previous Israeli government as part of a withdrawal plan that also included the removal of all Israeli settlers and soldiers from Gaza, as well as the dismantling of three other settlements in the northern West Bank.

At the time, these four settlements were considered too isolated, costly to defend, and of little strategic importance.

In recent weeks, white mobile homes have reappeared on the hilltop, in preparation for the return of families.

After the evacuation of Kadim and three other settlements in 2005, Israelis were banned from resettling in the area. The current Israeli government has lifted this ban.

Kadim is the last of the settlements evacuated in 2005 to reopen. Ganim, Sanur and Homesh have already officially reopened and Israeli families have settled there.

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However, these settlements represent only a small part of the Israeli government's project to expand settlements in the West Bank.

Since coming to power in late 2022, the Israeli government has approved more than 100 new settlements throughout the West Bank, including 19 in its northern part.