Shomron Regional Council


The Shomron Regional Council is an Israeli regional council in the northern West Bank. It provides municipal services for the 35 Israeli Settlements in the Samarian hills within its jurisdiction with a total population of about 23,600 people. The main offices are located in the Barkan Industrial Park. The Council's logo is inscribed with Biblical words from Jeremiah 31:5: "Again You will plant vineyards on the hills of Samaria," reflecting the region's wine industry.
The municipal area of the Council spreads across 2,800 square kilometers. Until the fall of 2005 when some of its municipal land was abandoned as part of Israel's unilateral disengagement plan, the Shomron Regional Council had been the largest Israeli regional council in municipal area.
In August 2015, Yossi Dagan was elected to position of Chairman of Shomron Regional Council, with 62% of the vote.

Geography

The municipal area of the Council spreads across 2,800 square kilometers, which corresponds to about 10 percent of the area of the State of Israel within the Green Line. In municipal area, Shomron Regional Council is among the largest Israeli authorities.
The municipal boundaries:
The Council is divided into geographic regions, where each region has its own characteristics:
The local government and residents of Shomron opened the region to local and international tourism. Boutique wineries, organic farms, historical and biblical sites have developed into tourism attractions. The Jewish Shepherd at Kfar Tapuach, the Barkan Industrial park and hiking tails in the scenic natural reserve at attracting tourists from around the world. Israel's Minister of Tourism Yariv Lavin was quoted saying: "I strongly believe in the tourism potential of Samaria. I can tell you from personal experience that I visited Samaria many times, and it might very well be the most beautiful region in Israel".

Sister City

On September 12, 2016, the Town of Hempstead in New York signed a Declaration of Cooperation with the Shomron Regional Council in the Israeli-controlled West Bank, as part of an effort to counter the BDS movement. Council Chairman Yossi Dagan, Town Supervisor Anthony Santino, Councilmen Bruce Blakeman, Anthony D'Esposito, and Edward Ambrosino signed the document.

Towns of Shomron

The largest settlement in the Shomron Regional Council today is Sha'arei Tikva, numbering over 5,500 residents.

List of settlements

During the implementation of Israel's unilateral disengagement plan of August/September 2005, the residents of four of the Shomron Regional Council's settlements were evicted, their residential buildings destroyed, and land abandoned to the Palestinians, including territory outlined in the Oslo Accords as Area 'C' in full Israeli control.
In northern Shomron: