Video: Twenty years after they were forcibly evacuated, families from the expelled residents of Sa-Nur and young couples have coalesced as a nucleus preparing for return and rebuilding the settlement / Credit: Samaria Regional Council

Dagan said at the meeting, "We are beginning a historic step today, the first session lasting two and a half hours of the founding nucleus of the renewed Sa-Nur settlement. The Government of Israel, led by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, made a strategic and historic decision to return Jewish settlement to Sa-Nur in an official, state-sponsored, and complete manner. This step is not only a correction for the expelled families or for this nucleus of families, it is a national correction," Dagan added.

According to him, "What enabled the Holocaust of October 7, which led us to horror and the continuing war, is directly the expulsion from Gush Katif and northern Samaria. The nucleus here is consolidating in the coming months, to create settlement work, community work, together with all government ministries, and the State of Israel will rebuild northern Samaria and with God's help, also Gush Katif."

Religious Zionism party chairman and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who led the government decision, blessed the move and said, "Historic correction, the return to Sa-Nur – Zionism at its best. Twenty years after the expulsion and this year is a peak year in which we established 50 new settlements in Judea and Samaria."

"We re-established Sa-Nur, and establishing this return nucleus is truly good news. We are correcting the injustice in northern Samaria, and God willing, we will also correct the injustice of the expulsion from Gush Katif. I feel the fruits of the terror that sprouted in Gaza with enormous pain – the time for correction has come," he added.

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With @IsraelMFA delegation, we met the head of the Shomron Regional Council, Yossi Dagan, and his devoted team.
Standing at the "Balcony of Israel", an outlook where you see how small our country is, you can better appreciate the security challenges Israel faces each and every… pic.twitter.com/APxkbcGzZT

— Amb. Yacov Livne (@YacovLivne) April 2, 2025

 Huch, recognized as one of the ten most influential Evangelical leaders in the United States and a close confidant of President Donald Trump, was acknowledged for his steadfast support of the settlements and his partnership with Dagan in advocating for Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria.

The relationship between Huch and the Samaria leadership has deep roots. During his visit to the region about a year ago, Huch was visibly moved to tears at Joseph's Lookout on Mount Gerizim when Dagan read from the Bible the verse, "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse" – part of God's promise to Abraham. Standing above Joseph's Tomb, Huch overlooked the area where, according to biblical accounts, Abraham first entered the land of Israel and received divine assurance of inheriting the territory.

"My time here is one of the pinnacle moments of my life," Huch had remarked emotionally. "I bring every Christian I can here, to stand in the place where God said, 'I will bless those who bless you' – the location for all blessings."

Returning to Samaria this week as Dagan's guest, Huch participated in the Passover toast ceremony and shared significant revelations about his interactions with Trump regarding Israeli sovereignty.

"I've been to Israel 49 times, but this visit moves me especially," Huch stated with emotion. "Five years ago, when the US president was considering a peace plan, I told him, 'Don't give up an inch of Judea and Samaria' and suggested recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Two days later, Trump announced it."

Huch highlighted a recent official declaration presented to President Trump by thousands of Evangelical leaders that demanded Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria. This declaration was presented and approved at the main conference of the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) organization, the central body representing Evangelical media outlets in the United States, coordinated between NRB President Troy Miller and Samaria Regional Council Head Yossi Dagan.

"3,000 church leaders called on the president to stop using the term 'West Bank.' This is Judea and Samaria, and sovereignty over it belongs to the people of Israel. We will support you forever," Huch emphasized.

In perhaps the most noteworthy moment of his address, Huch disclosed details of a personal conversation with Trump regarding sovereignty, "I sat with the president and told him, 'Mr. President, we need to recognize Israel's sovereignty over Judea and Samaria. This is not in the hands of any politician, but of the people of Israel and God.' Trump replied to me, 'You can tell the people of Israel that I stand with them.'"

Yossi Dagan, speaking at the event following his return from high-level meetings in Washington, noted, "I returned from a round of meetings with senior officials in the Trump administration, the Senate, and Congress – I've never encountered such admiration for the settlements in Judea and Samaria. Senior mayors in the State of Israel say, 'We can debate many things, but the settlements are our protective belt.'"

Dagan emphasized sovereignty as a critical security measure, "What will prevent the next October 7 is bringing sovereignty to Judea and Samaria and encouraging emigration. The settlements are Israel's security belt. The ball is not in Washington – it's in Jerusalem. We will launch a clear campaign demanding full sovereignty in Judea and Samaria."

Rabbi Aharon Cohen reinforced this message, stating, "We are on the eve of Passover, and it is our duty to continue building the settlements. This redemption will not come by miracle, it depends on each one of us."

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