Jerusalem, 29 October, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Nine pioneering families established Rom Gilboa Thursday, the third new Jewish community founded in Samaria this week and the 11th established this year.
Located in northeastern Samaria near the Jordan Valley, Rom Gilboa is less than 10 kilometers from Beit She’an as the crow flies.
Israel’s security cabinet approved the community in April 2026 as part of a plan to establish 34 new Jewish communities throughout Judea and Samaria. The initiative also supports the plan to establish 19 communities in northern Samaria, to replace the four communities evacuated during the 2005 Disengagement.
Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan said Rom Gilboa would strengthen Israel’s presence between northern Samaria, Mount Gilboa and the Springs Valley, in an area from which gunfire had previously targeted Kibbutz Meirav.
“Three communities in one week send a clear message: The Jewish people are not retreating from their land,” Dagan said.