Israel plans to build a power plant in Samaria—the first since it regained control of the region 58 years ago—Energy Minister Eli Cohen announced on Tuesday during a tour of the area.
The facility, slated for construction near the Palestinian village of Rantis in the Binyamin region of Samaria, is a “strategic necessity for Israel’s energy sector,” Cohen said in a statement. “Around half a million residents live in this area, so after 50 years, this is a long-overdue step.”
The project will “put Judea and Samaria on the map in the fields of energy and infrastructure, improve residents’ quality of life and energy security, and accelerate economic development in the region,” Cohen said.
He toured the area alongside Binyamin Regional Council head Israel Ganz and Likud lawmaker Nissim Vaturi, who chairs the Knesset committee overseeing the Israeli Citizens’ Fund, which manages government revenues from the levy on oil and natural gas profits.
Vaturi said he plans to bring the power plant proposal before the Knesset Committee for Oversight of the Israeli Citizens’ Fund within two months.
“Connecting the gas pipeline to Binyamin will bring de facto sovereignty to Judea and Samaria, our ancestral homeland,” he stated, adding: “I am proud to be part of this historic moment, which will lead to significant progress in the development and integration of Judea and Samaria.”
As of Jan. 1, 2025, 529,704 Israeli Jews lived in Judea and Samaria, amounting to approximately 5.28% of the country’s population.
Nearly 70% of Israelis want Jerusalem to extend full legal sovereignty over the territories, according to a poll conducted on Jan. 29.
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