Ariel is an Israeli settlement

Israeli settlement

An Israeli settlement is a Jewish civilian community built on land that was captured by Israel from Jordan, Egypt, and Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and is considered occupied territory by the international community. Such settlements currently exist in the West Bank...

 and a city in the West Bank

West Bank

The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...

. Ariel was established in 1978. Its population at the end of 2009 was 17,600, including 7,000 immigrants who came to Israel after 1990. It is the fourth largest Jewish settlement city in the West Bank., after Modi'in Illit

Modi'in Illit

Modi'in Illit is a Haredi Israeli settlement and a city in the West Bank, situated midway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Modi'in Illit was granted city status by the Israeli government in 2008. It is located six kilometres northeast of Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut and is often referred to as Kiryat...

, Beitar Illit, and Ma'ale Adumim.

In Hebrew, Ariel , literally means 'Lion of God'. "Ari" (Lion) in Hebrew is also a synonym for bravery and courage and it is also the symbol of the tribe of Judah

Tribe of Judah

According to the Hebrew Bible, the Tribe of Judah was one of the Tribes of Israel.Following the completion of the conquest of Canaan by the Israelite tribes after about 1200 BCE, Joshua allocated the land among the twelve tribes....

. Ariel in the Hebrew Bible

Hebrew Bible

The Hebrew Bible is a term used by biblical scholars outside of Judaism to refer to the Tanakh , a canonical collection of Jewish texts, and the common textual antecedent of the several canonical editions of the Christian Old Testament...

 is one of the names for Jerusalem and the Temple of Jerusalem (Isaiah 29:1-8). In July 2009, the city council approved the mayor's proposal to name the city after former Prime Minister

Prime Minister of Israel

The Prime Minister of Israel is the head of the Israeli government and the most powerful political figure in Israel . The prime minister is the country's chief executive. The official residence of the prime minister, Beit Rosh Hamemshala is in Jerusalem...

 Ariel Sharon

Ariel Sharon

Ariel Sharon is an Israeli statesman and retired general, who served as Israel’s 11th Prime Minister. He has been in a permanent vegetative state since suffering a stroke on 4 January 2006....

. The final decision is ultimately made by the Israeli government's 'Name Committee'.

The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law

International law and Israeli settlements

The international community considers the establishment of Israeli settlements in the Israeli-occupied territories illegal under international law, but Israel maintains that they are consistent with international law because it does not agree that the Fourth Geneva Convention applies to the...

, but the Israeli government disputes this.

History

At the beginning of 1978, a group of Israelis formed in order find a location in the hills of the northern part of the West Bank to create a new residential area. The group made a formal request to the government to be given land to build a new community and were given three options by the army; the area near the 'lone tree' which would later become Barkan

Barkan

Barkan , is an Israeli settlement in the northern West Bank, about 25 km east of Tel Aviv and 8 km west of Salfit, under the administrative local government of the Shomron Regional Council. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics), the population was 1,200 at the end of 2004...

, the area which would later become Kfar Tapuach

Kfar Tapuach

Kfar Tapuach is an Israeli settlement in the West Bank, founded in 1978. It sits astride one of the major traffic junctions in the West Bank. The executive director of the village council is Yisrael Blunder. As of December 2007, it had 800 residents...

, and a hill near Kifl Hares

Kifl Hares

Kifl Hares is a Palestinian town in the northern West Bank, located six kilometers west of Salfit and 18km south of Nablus in the Salfit Governorate, northwest of the Israeli settlement Ariel.-Tomb of Joshua:...

 that was known to the local Arabs as ' Jabel Mawat', the hill of death, because of inhospitable terrain.

The leader of this group, Ron Nachman

Ron Nachman

Ron Nachman is an Israeli politician and former Knesset member. The founder of Ariel, one of the largest Israeli settlements in the West Bank, he has been its mayor since 1985.-Biography:...

, chose the spot because of its strategic location on a possible Jordanian invasion route towards Israel's main population centre of Tel Aviv. In the spring of 1978, some of the group's men erected tents on the chosen hilltop, and in August 1978, a total of forty families came to live.

The original members of the group had gone through a screening process in order to put together a proper quality mix of skilled adults as well as young families that would be prepared psychologically to withstand starting a new settlement from scratch with little infrastructure and modern comforts. There were no paved roads or paths. Water was supplied periodically by a tanker truck. Electricity was provided by a generator since no electrical network existed in that area. Tents were replaced by prefabricated

Prefabrication

Prefabrication is the practice of assembling components of a structure in a factory or other manufacturing site, and transporting complete assemblies or sub-assemblies to the construction site where the structure is to be located...

 concrete blocks which served as living quarters, schools, and an infirmary. On September 1, 1978 the school year was officially opened.

As the community grew, a more heterogeneous mix of people joined the group including traditional Jews, as well as Orthodox Jews, though the city has kept its predominantly secular nature. The city now includes fourteen synagogues of various ethnic divisions of Orthodox Judaism

Orthodox Judaism

Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...

.

The city has several shopping centres, two different industrial zones (divided into light and heavy industry), a library

Library

In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...

, and sports clubs.

In July 2008, Israel approved the construction of 27 new factories in Ariel, which were expected to be completed by September 2009.

Political status

Like other settlements in the Israeli-occupied territories

Israeli-occupied territories

The Israeli-occupied territories are the territories which have been designated as occupied territory by the United Nations and other international organizations, governments and others to refer to the territory seized by Israel during the Six-Day War of 1967 from Egypt, Jordan, and Syria...

, Ariel is considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this. A series of Israeli governments has insisted that Ariel be included within Israel's future borders under any future peace treaty. The Israeli Ministry of the Interior gave the municipality of Ariel the status of a city council

City council (Israel)

A City council is the official designation of a city within Israel's system of local government.City council status may be granted by the Interior Minister to a municipality, usually a local council, whose population surpasses 20,000 and whose character is urban, defined as having areas zoned for...

 in 1998. In January 2010, Prime Minister

Prime Minister of Israel

The Prime Minister of Israel is the head of the Israeli government and the most powerful political figure in Israel . The prime minister is the country's chief executive. The official residence of the prime minister, Beit Rosh Hamemshala is in Jerusalem...

 Benjamin Netanyahu

Benjamin Netanyahu

Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is the current Prime Minister of Israel. He serves also as the Chairman of the Likud Party, as a Knesset member, as the Health Minister of Israel, as the Pensioner Affairs Minister of Israel and as the Economic Strategy Minister of Israel.Netanyahu is the first and, to...

, accompanied by leading figures in his governing coalition, declared Ariel the "capital of Samaria

Samaria

Samaria, or the Shomron is a term used for a mountainous region roughly corresponding to the northern part of the West Bank.- Etymology :...

", and an integral part of Israel

Israel

The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

. In December 2010, thirty-five MKs petitioned the government to annex Ariel to Israel. Palestinian representatives have opposed the incorporation of Ariel into Israel in any future settlement, arguing that the Ariel 'finger' would interrupt the territorial integrity of a Palestinian state and includes a major aquifer

Aquifer

An aquifer is a wet underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock or unconsolidated materials from which groundwater can be usefully extracted using a water well. The study of water flow in aquifers and the characterization of aquifers is called hydrogeology...

. Ariel's future is thus not clear: "as well as an obstacle to an Israeli-Palestinian agreement, it could also serve as a crucial trade-off for negotiators hammering out a final deal."

Geography

Ariel is situated about 17 kilometres (10.6 mi) east of the Green Line

Green Line (Israel)

Green Line refers to the demarcation lines set out in the 1949 Armistice Agreements between Israel and its neighbours after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War...

 and 34 kilometres (21.1 mi) west of the Jordan River, Jordan

Jordan

Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...

's western border. Ariel is adjacent to the Palestinian Authority town of Salfit

Salfit

Salfit also spelled Salfeet is a Palestinian town in the central West Bank. Salfit is located at an altitude of in the central Samarian highlands adjacent to the Israeli settlement of Ariel. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the City had a population of 8,796 in 2007....

 and southwest of Nablus

Nablus

Nablus is a Palestinian city in the northern West Bank, approximately north of Jerusalem, with a population of 126,132. Located in a strategic position between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, it is the capital of the Nablus Governorate and a Palestinian commercial and cultural center.Founded by the...

. It is approximately 30 kilometres (18.6 mi) east of Petah Tikva

Petah Tikva

Petah Tikva known as Em HaMoshavot , is a city in the Center District of Israel, east of Tel Aviv.According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, at the end of 2009, the city's population stood at 209,600. The population density is approximately...

, and 42 kilometres (26.1 mi) East of Tel Aviv to which it is connected by the Highway 5

Highway 5 (Israel)

Highway 5, or the Trans-Samaria Highway , is one of Israel's main highways, connecting the Mediterranean coast immediately north of Tel Aviv with the central Sharon plain and eastwards to Ariel and other Israeli settlements in the northern West Bank, known under the biblical name Samaria.The name...

 and 60 kilometres (37.3 mi) northwest of Jerusalem, to which it is connected by Highway 60

Highway 60 (Israel)

Highway 60 is a north-south intercity road in Israel and the West Bank that stretches from Beersheba to Nazareth.-Route:The route is also known as the "Route of the Patriarchs" since it follows the path of the ancient highway that runs along the length of the central watershed, and which...

.

Ariel's jurisdiction spans 14677 metric dunam (14.7 km²; 5.7 sq mi), and borders the Palestinian towns and villages Salfit

Salfit

Salfit also spelled Salfeet is a Palestinian town in the central West Bank. Salfit is located at an altitude of in the central Samarian highlands adjacent to the Israeli settlement of Ariel. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the City had a population of 8,796 in 2007....

, Marda and Iskaka

Iskaka

Iskaka is a Palestinian town located in the Salfit Governorate in the northern West Bank, 27 kilometers Southwest of Nablus. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, it had a population of approximately 1,097 in mid-year 2006....

.

Higher education

Ariel is home to the Ariel University Center of Samaria, founded in 1982. Current enrollment is 12,000 students, consisting of both Jewish and Arab students. In 2005, the Israeli government voted to support upgrading the College to university status. The change of status was not immediate since the decision only allowed the college to apply for revision by the Council for Higher Education in Israel

Council for Higher Education in Israel

The Council for Higher Education in Israel is a supervisory body for universities and colleges in Israel. It is the only organization with the authority to give educational accreditation...

 which must ultimately approve any change. University status is an issue of prestige, increased government funding, as well as the ability to open post-graduate studies (which are already offered at the college) and issue doctorate degrees. Formerly called the 'Academic College of Judea and Samaria', it changed its name in August 2007 in the interim period and anticipation of achieving the more prestigious 'university' status.

Theater and boycott

The state-funded Ariel Center for the Performing Arts

Ariel Center for the Performing Arts

The Ariel Performing Arts Center is an Israeli performing arts complex, established in 2010 in Ariel on the West Bank. It opened on November 8, 2010 with an acclaimed performance of Piaf by the Beersheba Theater company....

 opened on November 8, 2010 with a performance of Piaf

Piaf (play)

Piaf is a play by Pam Gems that focuses on the life and career of French chanteuse Edith Piaf. The biographical drama with music portrays the singer in a most unflattering light...

 by the Beersheba Theater company. These performances are being boycotted by sixty of Israel's most prominent actors, writers, and directors, including Joshua Sobol, who refuse to perform in settlements because it would "strengthen the settlement enterprise". A number of Israeli politicians, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Benjamin Netanyahu

Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is the current Prime Minister of Israel. He serves also as the Chairman of the Likud Party, as a Knesset member, as the Health Minister of Israel, as the Pensioner Affairs Minister of Israel and as the Economic Strategy Minister of Israel.Netanyahu is the first and, to...

, Culture Minister Limor Livnat

Limor Livnat

is an Israeli politician who currently serves as a member of the Knesset for Likud, and as the country's Minister of Culture & Sport.-Biography:Born in Haifa, Livnat is the only member of Knesset not to have a secondary education...

 and the leader of the centrist Kadima Party Tzipi Livni

Tzipi Livni

Tzipporah Malkah "Tzipi" Livni is an Israeli lawyer and politician. She is the current Israeli Opposition Leader and leader of Kadima, the largest party in the Knesset. Raised an ardent nationalist, Livni has become one of her nation's leading voices for the two-state solution. In Israel she has...

 condemned the boycott and called for the authorities to cut government funding to the artists participating in the boycott. The boycott is being supported by other Israeli artists such as Amos Oz

Amos Oz

Amos Oz is an Israeli writer, novelist, and journalist. He is also a professor of literature at Ben-Gurion University in Be'er Sheva....

, David Grossman

David Grossman

David Grossman is an Israeli author. His books have been translated into more than 30 languages, and have won numerous prizes.He is also a noted activist and critic of Israeli policy toward Palestinians. The Yellow Wind, his non-fiction study of the life of Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied...

, and Dani Caravan, but opposed by others, such as a left-wing journalist Amnon Shamosh

Amnon Shamosh

Amnon Shamosh is an Israeli author and poet.Shamosh was born in 1929 in Aleppo, Syria. In his childhood he immigrated to Palestine and participated in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War in a Palmach unit. He studied at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He was a founder of kibbutz Ma'ayan Barukh, where he...

, who suggested that the boycott plays into the hands of right-wing extremists, by linking art and politics. 150 U.S. actors have supported the boycott in an open letter. However five Israeli actors later withdraw from the boycott, indicating that they either changed their mind or had thought the letter they were signing called for a discussion on the issue, rather than outright boycott.

West Bank barrier

The Israeli West Bank barrier

Israeli West Bank barrier

The Israeli West Bank barrier is a separation barrier being constructed by the State of Israel along and within the West Bank. Upon completion, the barrier’s total length will be approximately...

 was originally planned to extend out from the Israeli border to Ariel, but challenges before the Israeli Supreme Court and international pressure have stopped it for now. Instead, Ariel has its own security fence surrounding it on three sides.

Twin towns — Sister cities

Ariel is twinned

Town twinning

Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...

 with: Heredia, Costa Rica

Heredia, Costa Rica

Heredia is a city located in the Heredia province of Costa Rica and is the capital of that province. It is currently undergoing a rapid process of industrialization and is located 10 kilometers north of the country's capital, San José....

 Mobile, Alabama

Mobile, Alabama

Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

External links

• Ariel home page
• College of Judea & Samaria home page