Description: The Samaria Regional Council (also known as the Shomron Regional Council) is an Israeli local government authority that administers a group of Israeli communities and municipal services in the northern West Bank (the Samaria/Shomron area). The council provides local planning, infrastructure, education, economic development and security coordination for the settlements under its jurisdiction and promotes residential, industrial and tourism development in the region. Type: Regional council / local government authority (Israeli municipal body) Policies: Advocacy for settlement growth, land use and regional planning, infrastructure and transportation projects, housing and economic development, industrial park promotion, local education and social services, security and emergency coordination, and public diplomacy efforts including opposition to boycott/divestment campaigns. Funding: Primarily funded through Israeli government municipal transfers and grants, local municipal taxes and fees, revenues from local industrial and commercial activity (notably industrial parks), and supplementary donations and fundraising from private supporters and diaspora partners. Affiliates: Yossi Dagan (chairman), Yesha Council (settlement umbrella groups), Barkan Industrial Park, Ariel (city and local institutions such as Ariel University as regional partners), Ministry for Diaspora Affairs (cooperation on public diplomacy), and international municipal partners such as the Town of Hempstead (NY) with which it has had cooperation agreements.
