West Bank & Jerusalem
Israel reopens West Bank settlement after 22-year absence
Image credit: Al-Monitor
TOP News Brief
The Newsdesk gathers reporting from wire services and primary sources and rewrites every story in-house before publication. How our journalism is made →
Israel officially reopened the West Bank settlement of Ganim on Thursday, more than 20 years after it had withdrawn from the community, Al-Monitor reported. The move marks a significant shift in policy toward settlements that had been abandoned and reflects the current government's aggressive approach to expanding Israeli presence across the occupied territory.
The reopening of Ganim comes as part of broader efforts to reinhabit and develop West Bank settlements. Israeli officials have prioritized settlement growth as a cornerstone of their territorial policy, and the decision to restore Ganim demonstrates the scope of those ambitions. The settlement had sat vacant since the early 2000s before authorities moved to reestablish civilian presence there.
