Betzet
Encyclopedia
Betzet is a moshav
in the Western Galilee in northern Israel
. It belongs to the Mateh Asher Regional Council
. It is part of the Moshavim Movement
, and is located next to the cities Shlomi and Nahariya
.
The moshav was founded in 1951 by on land belonging to the Palestinian
village Al-Bassa
, which was destroyed in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
. The founders were immigrants to Israel from the Balkan states, especially the former Yugoslavia
and Romania
. The community is named after the ancient village of Betzet which is estimated to have existed nearby. In 2005, it had a population of about 300.
The area is about 2200 dunam
s. Most of the residents work in growing banana
s, avocado
es and turkeys
.
and the middle Canaanite period. Likewise wine-pressing holes and graves from the Roman and Byzantine imperial eras are preserved.
Betzet Aerodrome, a disused WW II British aerodrome to the west of Betzet. A helipad has been built on the north-western part of the runway by the Israeli Air Force. There are numerous derelict structures from the British era on site; they include AA gun mounts, underground aircraft pens and hangars.
On August 12, 1968, two Syrian MiG-17F aircraft landed in error at Betset.
The aerodrome grounds are used today as agricultural land and contain banana, olive and pomegranate groves. The Israeli Air Force uses the helipad occasionally and the local radio control flying model club has its activity on the helipad on weekends.
Moshav
Moshav is a type of Israeli town or settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists during the second aliyah...
in the Western Galilee in northern Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. It belongs to the Mateh Asher Regional Council
Mateh Asher Regional Council
The Mateh Asher Regional Council is a regional council in the western Galilee of northern Israel. It is named after the Tribe of Asher which had been allotted the region in antiquity according to the Book of Joshua . It was founded in 1982 as a merger of three regional councils: Ga'aton, Na'aman...
. It is part of the Moshavim Movement
Moshavim Movement
The Moshavim Movement is one of the main settlement movements in Israel, whose members are cooperative villages organized as moshavim and moshavim shitufiim...
, and is located next to the cities Shlomi and Nahariya
Nahariya
Nahariya is the northernmost coastal city in Israel, with an estimated population of 51,200.-History:Nahariya was founded by German Jewish immigrants from the Fifth Aliyah in the 1930s...
.
The moshav was founded in 1951 by on land belonging to the Palestinian
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...
village Al-Bassa
Al-Bassa
al-Bassa was a Palestinian Arab village in the British Mandate of Palestine's District of Acre. It was situated close to the Lebanese border, north of the district capital, Akko , and above sea level.-Name:...
, which was destroyed in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
1948 Arab-Israeli War
The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...
. The founders were immigrants to Israel from the Balkan states, especially the former Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
and Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. The community is named after the ancient village of Betzet which is estimated to have existed nearby. In 2005, it had a population of about 300.
The area is about 2200 dunam
Dunam
A dunam or dönüm, dunum, donum, dynym, dulum was a non-SI unit of land area used in the Ottoman Empire and representing the amount of land that can be plowed in a day; its value varied from 900–2500 m²...
s. Most of the residents work in growing banana
Banana
Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
s, avocado
Avocado
The avocado is a tree native to Central Mexico, classified in the flowering plant family Lauraceae along with cinnamon, camphor and bay laurel...
es and turkeys
Turkey (bird)
A turkey is a large bird in the genus Meleagris. One species, Meleagris gallopavo, commonly known as the Wild Turkey, is native to the forests of North America. The domestic turkey is a descendant of this species...
.
Places of interest nearby
Tel Betzet (Tel means "hill" or "archaeological site") is located south of the village. It has pottery vessels from the Copper AgeCopper Age
The Chalcolithic |stone]]") period or Copper Age, also known as the Eneolithic/Æneolithic , is a phase of the Bronze Age in which the addition of tin to copper to form bronze during smelting remained yet unknown by the metallurgists of the times...
and the middle Canaanite period. Likewise wine-pressing holes and graves from the Roman and Byzantine imperial eras are preserved.
Betzet Aerodrome, a disused WW II British aerodrome to the west of Betzet. A helipad has been built on the north-western part of the runway by the Israeli Air Force. There are numerous derelict structures from the British era on site; they include AA gun mounts, underground aircraft pens and hangars.
On August 12, 1968, two Syrian MiG-17F aircraft landed in error at Betset.
The aerodrome grounds are used today as agricultural land and contain banana, olive and pomegranate groves. The Israeli Air Force uses the helipad occasionally and the local radio control flying model club has its activity on the helipad on weekends.