First Structures Placed in New Settlement Valley of Dotan

First residential structures have been placed in the new settlement of Emek Dotan in northern Samaria, as part of the Samaria Council's 'Connection Plan' to establish 19 settlements. Council head Yossi Dagan and Education Ministry Deputy Director General Yigal Tzarfati toured the site and participated in placing the structures. Dagan said that 19 settlements will be built where four were uprooted, and the new settlement is expected to become a regional center. Rabbi Chaim Baruch linked the move to national unity.

The first residential structures have been placed in the new settlement of Emek Dotan, established in the center of the biblical Valley of Dotan in northern Samaria. The settlement is part of the Samaria Council's 'Connection Plan' in cooperation with the Amana movement, to establish 19 new settlements, in accordance with cabinet decisions and led by Defense Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. Council head Yossi Dagan arrived for a tour with Education Ministry Deputy Director General Yigal Tzarfati, and the two participated in placing the structures. Dagan recited the Shehecheyanu blessing and said: 'Where four settlements were uprooted, we are building 19 settlements. Instead of the Disengagement Plan, we are together implementing the Connection Plan.' According to him, the settlement is expected to become a significant center in northern Samaria, with hundreds of families and thousands of citizens. Deputy Director General Tzarfati emphasized the Education Ministry's commitment to providing educational solutions in the settlements. Rabbi Chaim Baruch, who heads the pre-military academies whose graduates are establishing the settlement, said: 'Where the division among the people of Israel began with the sale of Joseph, we are working to restore brotherhood, joy, and togetherness.' The article presents the move as a natural continuation of settlement policy, using optimistic and unifying language.