Jenin: Israeli occupiers on Thursday reestablished the illegal Ganim settlement on Palestinian land east of Jenin in the northern occupied West Bank, 21 years after it was evacuated under Israel's 2005 disengagement plan, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.
According to Anadolu Agency, Israeli forces closed entrances and side roads along the main route from Haddad Roundabout to the Al-Jalama military checkpoint. These measures were intended to secure occupiers and their leaders participating in the reestablishment of the illegal settlement. Participants included Yossi Dagan, head of the northern West Bank settlements council, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, and members of the Knesset.
Tariq Ighbariya, head of the settlement file in Jenin province, stated that the occupiers' return to Ganim represented 'a dangerous development' that redraws Jenin's geopolitical map and imposes new facts on the ground. He emphasized that the reestablishment of the settlement would divide the province, transform the area into a militarized zone, escalate attacks and confrontations, and threaten the geographical continuity between Palestinian communities.
Ighbariya further commented that the move reflects the influence of occupiers and settlement councils over the government and undermines the possibility of establishing a geographically contiguous Palestinian state. The reestablishment of Ganim follows recent demolitions of 27 Palestinian buildings in Jenin province, as far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich indicated these actions were paving the way for renewed settlement.
In late 2025, the Israeli government approved the reestablishment of Ganim and Kadim, near Jenin, as part of a broader decision to establish or reorganize 19 illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank. In March 2023, the Knesset amended the 'disengagement plan' law, removing restrictions that had barred Israelis from entering and residing in areas of the northern West Bank evacuated in 2005.
The disengagement plan had initially provided for the withdrawal from four illegal settlements and permanent military installations in the area, supporting Palestinian geographical contiguity in the northern West Bank. However, Israel has begun reversing restrictions tied to the plan in recent years.
According to the latest UN secretary-general's report on settlements, Israeli authorities advanced or approved plans to build 4,750 settlement units in the occupied West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, between March 14 and June 12. On March 25, the Israeli government also approved the establishment or legalization of 34 illegal settlements in Area C of the occupied West Bank, marking the largest number approved in a single Israeli government decision, as reported by the same UN report.
UN Security Council Resolution 2334 affirms that Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including occupied East Jerusalem, have 'no legal validity' and constitute a violation of international law.