Givat Harel 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...

 established in 1998 in the jurisdiction of the Mateh Binyamin Regional Council in the northern 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...

 north of Nahal Shilo. It is situated just off 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...

 on a hill between Eli

Eli (town)

Eli is a large mixed communal Israeli settlement in the West Bank. Located on Highway 60 north of Jerusalem and Ramallah, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Binyamin Regional Council. At the end of 2008 it had a population of 2,800...

 and Shilo

Shilo (town)

Shilo is an Israeli settlement in the northern West Bank, located 28 miles north of Jerusalem on Route 60, next to the Palestinian town Turmus Ayya...

, and above a spring named Ein Oz.

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.

Giv'at Harel is named after 18-year old Harel Bin Nun, who was shot and killed by Arab terrorists on August 5, 1998, while he and his friend Shlomo Liebman were on civilian security patrol in the vicinity of Yitzhar

Yitzhar

Yitzhar is an Israeli settlement located in the West Bank south of the city of Nablus just off Route 60, north of the Tapuach Junction. The predominantly Orthodox Jewish community with a population of 895 is within the municipal jurisdiction of the Shomron Regional Council...

.

Givat Harel, now home to nearly 40 families, was established by Bin Nun's brothers, who grew up in Shilo. Bin-Nun's father, Elhanan, is the rabbi

Rabbi

In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...

 of Shilo.

Shortly after the establishment of the site, an ancient horned altar

Altar

An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...

was found on the hilltop.
Residents say it was likely not that of Israelites.

Daniel Bin Nun, brother of Harel, runs Ranch on the Hill, a therapeutic horseback riding center, in Givat Harel.