Israel Katz Announces Plan to Regulate Over 140 Agricultural Farms in Judea and Samaria on Tu B'Shvat

Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on Monday that he is advancing a government move to regulate more than 140 agricultural farms in Judea and Samaria, describing the initiative as a strategic step to strengthen settlement and counter Palestinian territorial efforts.

Katz delivered the remarks in a prerecorded video message to a Tu B’Shvat appreciation conference for agricultural farms, held at Chavat Chesed Olam in the Binyamin region. The event was organized by the Binyamin Regional Council, the Farm Union, the Ministry of Settlement, and Arutz 7, which broadcast the conference live.

In his message, Katz framed the agricultural farms as a core expression of Zionism and national commitment. “Anyone who wants to see Zionism at its best, a deep commitment to the Land of Israel, and a true connection to the soil of the land will find all of that in the agricultural farms of Judea and Samaria,” he said.

Katz acknowledged the difficult conditions in which many farm residents live, crediting them with safeguarding land and maintaining a Jewish presence across wide areas. “They often live under complex conditions, yet they continue to actively safeguard the open spaces and the future of the entire region,” he said.

Addressing the broader security situation, Katz said that terror activity has dropped sharply under the policy pursued by his ministry. “We have reduced the scope of terror by 80 percent,” he said, attributing the decline to IDF control over what he described as terror camps in northern Samaria.

Katz tied the farm regulation initiative to a series of policy steps he said have been advanced since he took office. These include approval of 69 new communities in Judea and Samaria, the return to Shnor, Homesh, Ganim, and Kadim, and efforts to relocate military bases back to northern Samaria. He also referenced his decision to cancel administrative detention orders applied to Jewish residents in the area, arguing that the policy had discriminated against them. At the same time, he said the government is promoting extensive infrastructure development and additional transportation routes across the region.

The central announcement of Katz’s remarks focused on the regulation of the farms themselves. “We can be blessed with the historic step that I am advancing, with the support of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and in cooperation with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, the regulation of more than 140 farms in Judea and Samaria, another step toward strengthening settlement and weakening Palestinian attempts to establish a presence in the area,” Katz said.

Smotrich, who attended the conference in person, reinforced the framing of the move. Speaking to participants, the finance minister described the strengthening of agricultural farms as part of reversing the 2005 disengagement from northern Samaria and advancing sovereignty. “We are erasing the disgrace of the expulsion from northern Samaria and settling the Land of Israel anew,” Smotrich said.

Katz concluded his remarks by pledging to continue backing the farm enterprise and its residents. “They stand throughout the year as a fortified wall, safeguarding our lands and strengthening our hold on our historic homeland,” he said.