The West Bank settlement of Hermesh absorbed 20 new families, comprising dozens of children, on Thursday as part of an expansion initiative in northern Samaria.
A ceremony marked the inauguration of a new neighborhood, while a kindergarten and daycare center also opened their doors. To accommodate the incoming residents, a trailer neighborhood was established in partnership with Amana, the settlement movement organization.
The Samaria Regional Council presented the development as part of a broader settlement expansion effort currently underway in the northern Samaria region.
Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council, welcomed the families and praised the settlement's veteran residents: "We salute the veterans of the community who defeated terror and hardships. Settlement here is the beating heart of the land. Hermesh will become a huge community full of children and construction". Dagan added: "Today we see with our own eyes how the vision of settlement becomes a living, breathing reality. The arrival of 20 new families to Hermesh in a single day is a clear statement by the people of Israel, we are here to deepen roots, to build and be built".
Ze'ev Hever (Zambish), secretary-general of Amana, also addressed the expansion: "The great wonder is that we are establishing dozens of communities simultaneously, and people are flocking to us, requesting to be accepted into the settlements". According to Hever, the new residents come from both established settlements and cities throughout Israel: "We are succeeding, thank G-d, to establish and populate this entire great enterprise being built".
