JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Hundreds of people attended a ceremony Sunday marking the reestablishment of the Sa-Nur settlement in northern Samaria, which was evacuated 21 years ago during Israel’s 2005 disengagement. The event followed the arrival of the first families who have moved back to the site.

Government ministers and Knesset members took part in the ribbon-cutting ceremony, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who also serves in the Defense Ministry. He thanked Defense Minister Israel Katz and described the move as a turning point.

“We are carrying out a historic correction, killing the idea of a Palestinian state and returning to Sa-Nur,” Smotrich said. “This is a holiday for the settlement movement.”

Smotrich, who is the effective ruler of the region as minister responsible for Judea and Samaria, added that 11 new communities are slated to be built in Northern Samaria in the near future.

Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan also welcomed the return, calling it both a national and personal milestone.

Dagan, whose family had been evicted from Sa-Nur during the disengagement, arrived on Sunday morning with his wife, Oriah, and their children, unloaded their belongings at their new–old home, and then cut the ribbon at the entrance to the community. He  recited with emotion the blessing: “Baruch Matziv Gvul Almana.”

אחרי 21 שנה: השרים סמוטריץ׳ אלקין ויוסי דגן חונכים את היישוב שא-נור המחודש.
עם ישראל חי.🇮🇱 pic.twitter.com/Qqq2jo7kKH

— מה חדש. What’s new❓ (@Gloz111) April 19, 2026

“Today we are making history and effectively reversing the expulsion from northern Samaria,” Dagan said. “Sa-Nur will become a city, and northern Samaria will become one of the most thriving regions in Israel.”

About a year ago, the security cabinet quietly approved the establishment of 22 settlements in the region, including the dismantled settlements of Homesh and Sa-Nur. The proposal was promoted by Defense Minister Katz and Smotrich.