Israeli Outposts In Samaria And Why

 Nadene Goldfoot                                     

Israel has IDF troops in southern Lebanon because Israel maintains troops in southern Lebanon to establish a security buffer zone, dismantle Hezbollah's underground infrastructure and weapon caches, and prevent the group from launching cross-border attacks that threaten tens of thousands of displaced residents in northern Israel.

Residents of northern Israel have experienced one massive, prolonged wave of displacement rather than multiple repeated evacuation orders. Following the outbreak of cross-border hostilities with Hezbollah on October 8, 2023, the Israeli government officially evacuated roughly 60,000 to 80,000 residents from communities near the Lebanese border.

Duration: Most families remained displaced for over a year due to continuous rocket, missile, and drone fire. 

 Return Process: Following a ceasefire agreement in late 2024, a gradual and phased return began, though heavy infrastructure damage and lingering security concerns meant that some residents remained away or chose not to return permanently.

Defense Minister Katz visited IDF troops in southern Lebanon 

yesterday and said that, “the IDF is here to stay in the security zones 

in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza. I instructed the IDF to take all 

necessary steps to  prepare for a long-term presence in 

the area.” 

He  did NOT say "permanent" presence.

In addressing another spot of contention, there was 

an Israeli Outpost established near Palestinian homes in the village 

of Qusra in another part of land, Samaria, home of our original 

ancestors led here by Moses. Qusra is a Palestinian 

village located in Samaria (the West Bank (Samaria), about 

16.3 kilometers southeast of Nablus (Shechem in bible)  

Bordered by towns like Duma and Jalud, the village has been a focal 

point of recent friction and 

international attention following unauthorized settler outpost activity 

and subsequent military enforcement in the area.  It sits in the 

Samaria/Nablus region of Samaria (the West Bank).

 Security forces arrived 

overnight to evacuate the outpost.

Outposts: They often start small with a few tents, caravans, or modular homes on hilltops, sometimes expanding over time into more permanent infrastructure. 

Retroactive Legalization: Some outposts have historically received retroactive approval and official recognition from the Israeli government over time.

In Israeli law, outposts are distinguished from settlements authorized by the Israeli government. This distinction between illegal outposts and "legal" settlements is not endorsed by international law, which considers both a violation of the norms, governing belligerent occupations, applicable to the Israeli-occupied Judea-Samaria.  Israel took control of the region commonly known as the West Bank and officially referred to by Israeli authorities as the Judea and Samaria Area  ever since  1967 during the Six-Day War.  

Soldiers often set up outposts in safe or strategic places. Over time, these military camps have grown into permanent towns and cities because people move there to trade, farm, and live safely.

Security forces arrived overnight to evacuate the 

outpost established near Palestinian homes in the village of 

Qusra in northern Samaria, which had left several 

Palestinian families trapped in their homes for 4 days. 

The failure to evacuate the outpost sooner sparked 

outrage in the 

international community and even led to a statement in which 

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee described those 

who established the outpost as “Israeli terrorists” and called 

on the state to “remove them” from the site. One of the 

besieged homes is owned by an American citizen who lives in 

Ohio. 

             Settlements Are Another Group of Homes

AI defines it thusly:  An Israeli settlement is a civilian 

community built by Israeli citizens on land captured by Israel 

during the 1967 Six-Day War, primarily located in the West 

Bank and East Jerusalem, as well as previously in the Gaza 

Strip and the Golan Heights.  But to Israelis:  

State Land: Built on land designated or declared as state land rather than recognized private Palestinian property. Government Authorization: Officially approved and established through a government resolution with proper building permits. 

Authorized vs. Outposts: Communities that lack formal government approval are classified as "outposts," which are technically unauthorized under Israeli law, though some have later been retroactively legalized. Municipal Status:Range from small rural farming villages to large urban suburbs and fully incorporated cities like Modi'in Illit and Ma'ale Adumim.

Israeli settlers stand outside houses after the reopening of the settlement of Ganim in Samaria on August 13, 2026. (ILIA YEFIMOVICH/AFP)

The Ganim settlement was destroyed and evacuated in 2005 under Prime 

Minister Ariel Sharon's unilateral Israel's 2005 disengagement plan. The plan 

aimed to reduce friction with Palestinians, lessen security burdens, and separate 

populations in northern Samaria and the Gaza Strip.

Map highlighting Area C where the access is closed and restricted to Palestinians. 

Darker areas are Israeli settlements and military posts within Area C.  Ganim is kosher;  fit and proper in C.  

Twenty-one years after the evacuation of settlements in 

northern Samaria, and following a Cabinet decision to 

legalize dozens of settlements, families from the Ganim 

community moved back to the site Thursday and 

reestablished the settlement. 

Dozens of caravans were placed 

there to house the families and a branch of the Bnei David 

educational institutions was established at the site. Alongside 

the return to Ganim and the resettlement of Homesh and Sa. 

Some two dozen prefabricated homes installed, with construction ongoing; IDF carries out demolitions of nearby Palestinian stores and blocks roads to adjacent villages.

“Twenty-one years after the terrible sin of the expulsion from [Gaza’s] Gush Katif and northern Samaria, we are finally erasing the disgrace of the expulsion from northern Samaria,” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said, using the biblical name for the northern West Bank.

The northern Samaria settlement of Ganim is located in Area C of the Oslo Accords. Under the interim agreements, all Israeli settlements in the West Bank are designated as being within Area C, which is under full Israeli civil and security control.  They have the right to be there.  

Israel has a population of about 10.12 million people, a total land area of roughly 20,770 to 21,640 square kilometers (8,000 to 8,350 square miles), and water makes up roughly 2% to 2.7% of its total area, with severe water scarcity prompting advanced desalination technology.

The next national public holiday in Israel is Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year), which begins at sundown on Friday, September 11, 2026, and is officially observed on Saturday, September 12 and Sunday, September 13, 2026.  The Outposts want to be ready for it.  

Resource:

https://www.timesofisrael.com/families-move-into-rebuilt-west-bank-settlement-of-ganim-21-years-after-evacuation/

-Nur, the Kadim settlement is also expected to be reestablished soon, a move that would complete the reversal of the disengagement from northern Samaria.

Settlements versus Villages, Neighborhoods, Colonies: Deciding Factor in Politics, Wars

Nadene Goldfoot                                                           

                                        Pensacola, Florida Today

In 1559, a Spanish expedition led by Tristán de Luna y Arellano, brought 1,500 soldiers, colonists, slaves, and Aztec Indians in 11 ships from Veracruz, Mexico, to Pensacola to begin the Spanish colonization of the northern Gulf Coast. One month after Luna and his expedition arrived, the colony was struck by a hurricane, sinking many of their ships and devastating their food supplies. After two years, the remnants of the colony were rescued by Spanish ships and returned to Mexico. The Luna settlement inhabited Pensacola from 1559 to 1561, which predates the Spanish settlement in St. Augustine, Florida, by six years, and the English settlement in Jamestown, Virginia, by 48 years. This makes Pensacola the site of the first multi-year European colonial settlement ever archaeologically identified in the United States.

The first permanent European settlement in what is now the United States was St. Augustine, Florida, established by the Spanish in 1565.  Today,  St. Augustine is a city on the northeast coast of Florida. It lays claim to being the oldest city in the U.S., and is known for its Spanish colonial architecture as well as Atlantic Ocean beaches like sandy St. Augustine Beach and tranquil Crescent Beach. Anastasia State Park is a protected wildlife sanctuary. The Castillo de San Marcos is a 17th-century Spanish stone fortress with views of the St. Augustine Inlet. ― Google Founded: September 8, 1565        

        Jamestown Colony-skipping the word settlement

While Jamestown, Virginia is often cited as the first English settlement, it was founded in 1607, significantly later than St. Augustine. It was established by the London Company as "James Fort" on May 4, 1607 O.S. (May 14, 1607 N.S.), and considered permanent, after brief abandonment in 1610. It followed failed attempts, including the Roanoke Colony, established in 1585. Despite the dispatch of more supplies, only 60 of the original 214 settlers survived the 1609–1610 Starving Time. In mid-1610, the survivors abandoned Jamestown, though they returned after meeting a resupply convoy in the James River..

The Spanish, then British started settlements on this new land  They had a hard time surviving, but one did.

      Wilmington  

  Delaware was the first state to be declared in the USA. It ratified the U.S. Constitution on December 7, 1787, making it the first state to join the Union. This event earned Delaware the nickname "The First State" according to Delaware.gov. The first settlement in Delaware was called Zwaanendael. Established by Dutch traders in 1631 near present-day Lewes, this settlement was intended for whale hunting and agriculture. The name Zwaanendael means "Valley of the Swans" in archaic Dutch. However, this initial settlement was short-lived, as conflicts with local Native Americans resulted in its destruction in 1632. The first permanent European settlement in Delaware was Fort Christina, established by Swedish settlers in 1638. It was located at present-day Wilmington and was part of the New Sweden colony. Wilmington, Delaware, was first settled by Europeans in March 1638, when Swedish colonists established Fort Christina, now the site of Wilmington. The city was officially incorporated much later, first as a borough in 1739 and then as a city in 1832, according to the City of Wilmington (DE) (.gov). 

The USA was founded on July 4, 1776. Before this date, communities that arose were called Settlements; but afterwards, became cities.  Settlements appear to me to be an antiquated term, making me think of cowboys and Indians around a Fort,  but google thinks differently:

There are various types of settlements, commonly categorized as:

• Rural Settlements: Characterized by lower population density and often reliant on agriculture or natural resource extraction.  (usa firsts)
• Urban Settlements: Densely populated centers of commerce, industry, and governance, typically featuring advanced infrastructure and diverse economic opportunities.
• Suburban Settlements: Areas situated on the outskirts of cities, combining features of both urban and rural living, often primarily residential with proximity to urban amenities. 

Settlements are not merely collections of buildings but are also defined by their social, economic, and political organization. They play a crucial role in shaping political boundaries by influencing the distribution of populations and resources. 

The same should be for Israel, which was declared a state on May 14, 1948.  Settlements do turn into cities after land becomes a state.  I want "settlements" to be re-typed as either villages, towns or cities, depending on their size, as the USA has done. Israel is 77 years old, and people still refer to its cities as "settlements", a very temporary community. 

Jews entered Canaan with Joshua on the Exodus of some 600,000 freed slaves from Egypt who were mostly the children and their descendants of Jacob.  Their ancestors had lived in Canaan some 400 years previously, so they were going home.  Moses, an 80 year old Egyptian Prince, also a descendant, born in 1391 BCE, led them but died at 120 years, giving Joshua the reign in 1271 BCE.  That was 3,296 years ago! 

Some Jews never left Jerusalem.  Most had been kidnapped, taken away as slaves in 70 CE when Romans attacked and burned the city.  Jerusalem went back to King David's rule who made it his capital of Israel.  David died in 970 BCE, so the country had already existed for over 1,000 years after the Roman attack.  Some cities had been developed long before that!  

 The First Aliyah to Palestine took place between 1882 and 1903. This period saw a significant wave of Jewish immigration, primarily from Eastern Europe and Yemen, motivated by Zionist ideals and seeking to establish a larger Jewish presence in the region. 

The city of Tel Aviv was founded in April 11, 1909 as a garden suburb of Jaffa and named after the title of the Hebrew translation of Herzl's novel, Altneuland (Ezek. 3:15).  There are Arabs who call it a settlement.  

There are a number of new communities and neighborhoods being developed or under construction in Israel, including within Tel Aviv and its vicinity.  In addition, many urban renewal projects are underway in existing neighborhoods across Israel, including in cities like Jerusalem, Ashdod, Lod, Rehovot, Tiberias, Hadera, Ramat Gan, and Bat Yam. This involves replacing older buildings with modern structures, often leading to a significant increase in housing units and improved infrastructure. 

The Israeli settlement of Efrat within the Gush Etzion settlement bloc between the Palestinian cities of Hebron and Bethlehem in the West Bank on June 30, 2020. (Photo: Mosab Shawer/APA Images)

Area C in Judea-Samaria have also received new housing projects.  

    

https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/law/human-settlement#:~:text=Human%

20settlements%20are%20locations%20where,while%20hunting%20and%20gathering%20food.

https://www.visitpensacola.com/americas-1st-settlement-trail/1st-settlement/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamestown,_Virginia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilmington,_Delaware

https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/real-estate/article-856914

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tel_Aviv

https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-first-aliyah-1882-1903

https://mondoweiss.net/2021/08/israel-approves-plans-for-palestinian-homes-in-area-c-along-with-2000-settlement-units/