The Binyamin Regional Council is advancing plans for Natuf, the first new secular yishuv in the area since the 1980s.

The announcement follows the security cabinet’s decision to establish new yishuvim in Yehuda and Shomron.

Settlement Minister Orit Strock said, “Through settlement, we are reclaiming parts of Eretz Yisrael that were abandoned, putting down deep roots in a land that has always been ours, and creating a stronger diplomatic and security reality—a defensive belt of yishuvim, both within the Binyamin region and beyond the seam line.”

Binyamin Regional Council head and Yesha Council chairman Yisrael Ganz said, “Binyamin is an Israeli mosaic made up of religious, secular, and Chareidi communities. We are proud of the strong and thriving secular communities in Binyamin, and we are now proud to lay the foundations for Natuf and continue that story.”

“Settlement is a national mission that belongs to every part of Israeli society, and we invite families who want to take part in establishing Natuf’s pioneering founding community to join us and build the next generation of settlement in western Binyamin.”

According to the plan, Natuf will be built near the yishuvim of Nili and Na’ale, a short drive from central Israel. The project is being advanced in cooperation with the Settlement Ministry, the Settlement Division of the World Zionist Organization, the Binyamin Development Company, and the Amana settlement movement. Alongside the planning process, the council is working to assemble the founding group of families that will establish the new community.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)