Jerusalem, 4 November, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Jewish families moved into eight homes in Jericho on Wednesday following a discreet property purchase effort led by the Nachala movement and backed by the Binyamin Regional Council, the organizers said.
The move marks a new chapter in efforts to restore a permanent Jewish presence in Jericho, which came under Palestinian Authority control under the Oslo Accords. The organizers said the properties were purchased at full market value and that they hold documentation establishing ownership.
The organizers described the properties as being on state land within the Binyamin Regional Council’s jurisdiction. Some of the homes are near the Hasmonean Palaces, an archaeological site dating to the Second Temple period.
“We are dismantling the Oslo Accords through our actions — we are returning home,” said Binyamin Regional Council head Israel Gantz, who also chairs the Yesha Council, which represents Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria.
Gantz recalled entering Jericho as a 16-year-old protester on the night Israel transferred control of the city to the Palestinian Authority under the Oslo Accords.
“Today, I have a 16-year-old son, and I have the privilege of accompanying families as they return to build a home here,” he said.
Nachala chairwoman Daniella Weiss called the move “a major step toward renewing Jewish settlement in Jewish cities,” adding that the initiative aims to revive Jewish life in cities across the region.
