Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich toured the separation barrier near Jenin on Sunday, visiting the nearby town of Ram-On. During the visit, Smotrich presented three measures to strengthen security in the area: boosting the military presence, expanding the Jewish community in Judea and Samaria, and attracting young people through incentives.
During the tour, local community leaders raised concerns about an immediate and real threat to seam zone communities. In response, Smotrich outlined a series of steps to significantly strengthen defense systems and military presence in the area, alongside a broad initiative to expand settlement in the Tenachim bloc through land subsidies, housing grants, and employment incentives for young couples.
As the tour concluded, Smotrich said: “We saw in the north and south how important a large security buffer zone is—one that has civilian settlement and has the army. Zionism, Jewish expansion, and security have gone hand in hand for over a hundred years.”