Haaretz published an unusually sharp series of investigative pieces and editorials this week targeting Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council, portraying him as the de facto architect of Israel's political and security policy in Judea and Samaria.
In an extensive investigation by reporters Yarden Michaeli, Matan Golan, and Yaniv Kubovich, the paper warned of what it called a "strategic revolution" underway in northern Samaria, as a flagship settler project involving the establishment of eighteen new settlements takes shape.
The investigation identifies Dagan as the most prominent figure driving the return to northern Samaria, describing him as one of the most powerful people in the country, with an extensive network of connections spanning the American right and senior Republican officials, connections the paper says are aimed at securing American backing for annexation moves. Among other things, the report cites the official visit of U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson to Ariel as evidence of that influence.
According to the investigation, since the repeal of the Disengagement Law in March 2023, developments on the ground have progressed rapidly. Homesh and Sa-Nur have been resettled, a new Jewish community is being established on Mount Eival, and settlement core groups are preparing to return to the sites of Ganim and Kadim.
The paper says the geographic and demographic shift has been accompanied by a marked military buildup, including the establishment of eight new army bases, road paving, and a substantial flow of forces into an area where Israeli presence had been minimal for nearly two decades.
Alongside the investigation, Haaretz published a pointed opinion piece by editorial board member Noa Streicher under the headline "Yossi Dagan, Acting Chief of Staff." In the piece, Streicher accuses Dagan of dictating the security establishment's agenda and bending the political echelon to his will, particularly around visits to Joseph's Tomb.
Streicher wrote that the head of Central Command can shrug and say he is simply carrying out the policy of the defense minister, who is himself simply carrying out Dagan's policy, in a sharp critique of the chain of command. She went on to directly question who is really running the security establishment, asking pointedly, "Are you sure it's you?"
