Rom Gilboa: 11th new Shomron settlement in under a year

A new settlement called Rom Gilboa was inaugurated Thursday in northern Samaria (the Shomron), in a ceremony attended by Minister Amichai Shikli, Shomron Regional Council head Yossi Dagan, and representatives from neighboring kibbutzim and communities. The settlement is the 11th established in the Shomron in less than a year, and the third launched this week alone.

Rom Gilboa sits near Malkishua and Kibbutz Meirav, east of Ganim and Kadim, overlooking the Mayanot Valley. According to the Shomron Regional Council, the area has been used in recent years as a launching point for shooting attacks on Kibbutz Meirav and other nearby communities.

Delegates from Ein Harod, Tirat Tzvi, Meirav and Ma'ale Gilboa attended the ceremony to welcome the first families moving into the new settlement.

Shomron Council head Yossi Dagan outlined future expansion plans for the site: "There are 3,500 dunams here that can be built on right now, and they will connect the Shomron to the Gilboa. Today it's a small settlement, but there will be a huge city here connecting the Shomron, the Mayanot Valley, the Gilboa and the Galilee."

Dagan added: "Just two weeks ago there was nothing here. Look at this beautiful settlement, and this is only the beginning. In a place from which they used to shoot at Israeli communities in this area, we are building Zionism together, and from here we bring security to all of the State of Israel."

Minister Amichai Shikli blessed the families and said: "What is happening here in northern Shomron is a settlement revolution the likes of which we have not seen."

Shikli continued: "To see a group of young people coming here and building a life here, I really salute you for your willingness to come here and settle the land. I am full of hope that we will continue building the land with all our strength."

Yossi Dagan at Rom Gilboa settlement (Photo: Roi Chadi)

Representatives from neighboring kibbutzim also spoke at the ceremony. Harel Ben Ari from Kibbutz Ein Harod told the new residents: "You are the continuation of Zionism. I see in you the continuation of all the settlement along the borders."

Lieutenant Colonel (res.) Levi Givon from Kibbutz Meirav addressed the development of settlement in the region over the years: "And today another circle of settlements and farms is opening. Today we are hosting them and accompanying them on tours."

Noam Eldar, one of the representatives of the founding families, described the path to establishing the settlement, which included delays and reserve duty: "Until the last minutes we didn't know if what is happening here today would happen. This connection between the Gilboa and the Shomron is a dream. We and other families went for it."

The establishment of Rom Gilboa is part of the "Connection Plan" being promoted by the Shomron Regional Council together with Amana and the Settlement Division. The plan calls for establishing 19 new settlements in northern Shomron, as part of the "Million in Shomron" initiative.