Halamish
Encyclopedia
Halamish also known as Neveh Tzuf , is a communal
Israeli settlement
in the West Bank
, located in the southwestern Samarian
hills to the north of Ramallah
, 10.7 kilometers east of the Green line
. The Orthodox
Jewish community with a population of 1,054 (2009) was established in 1977. It falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Binyamin Regional Council.
The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law
, but the Israeli government disputes this.
According to a Peace Now-report of 2006, 33 percent of the land Neveh Tzuf is built on, is privately owned, all or most of it by Palestinians. According to Israeli law, settlements on privately owned Palestinian land are illegal.
The settlement of Neveh Tzuf has several outposts, and is home to the religious pre-army Mechina Elisha.
building near the Palestinian village Nabi Salih
. After months of harsh living conditions and after the murder of a Jew at the entrance to the settlement, only seven of the original settlers remained.
The original name of the settlement, Neveh Tzuf, was rejected by the government naming committee, arguing that it might be misleading since the biblical location, Eretz Tzuf, was elsewhere. The naming committee gave the new settlement the official name 'Halamish' instead, and since this was rejected by the settlers, both names are used for the settlement.
went to the Supreme Court of Israel
and claimed ownership of the Havlata Hill, which is now in the centre of Halamish. Based on aerial photos from the turn of the 20th century, showing the disputed land to be barren, and Ottoman Empire
land law specifying that land not worked for over ten years becomes state land, the land on that hill was declared state land and freed for settlement constructions. This court ruling became the precedent for future land ownership disputes.
The residents of the nearby Palestinian village of Nabi Salih
regularly protest the seizure of their land by the settlers of Halamish.
Communal settlement (Israel)
A community settlement is a type of town in Israel. While in an ordinary town anyone may buy property, in a community settlement the town's residents, who are organized in a cooperative, can veto a sale of a house or a business to an undesirable buyer....
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...
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...
, located in the southwestern Samarian
Samaria
Samaria, or the Shomron is a term used for a mountainous region roughly corresponding to the northern part of the West Bank.- Etymology :...
hills to the north of Ramallah
Ramallah
Ramallah is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank located 10 kilometers north of Jerusalem, adjacent to al-Bireh. It currently serves as the de facto administrative capital of the Palestinian National Authority...
, 10.7 kilometers 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...
. The Orthodox
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...
Jewish community with a population of 1,054 (2009) was established in 1977. It falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Binyamin Regional Council.
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.
According to a Peace Now-report of 2006, 33 percent of the land Neveh Tzuf is built on, is privately owned, all or most of it by Palestinians. According to Israeli law, settlements on privately owned Palestinian land are illegal.
The settlement of Neveh Tzuf has several outposts, and is home to the religious pre-army Mechina Elisha.
History
On 16 October 1977, two groups of settlers, one religious, calling itself “Neveh Tzuf” and one secular, called “Neveh Tzelah” with a total of 40 families moved into the abandoned former British Tegart fortTegart fort
A Tegart fort is a style of militarized police "fortress" constructed throughout Palestine during the British Mandatory period.The forts are named after British police officer and engineer Sir Charles Tegart, who designed them in 1938 based on his experiences in the Indian insurgency.Tens of the...
building near the Palestinian village Nabi Salih
Nabi Salih
Nabi Salih is a small Palestinian village of over 530 in the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate in the central West Bank.-Shrine of Salih:The residents of Nabi Salih identify a blue-color-domed building complex with the shrine of the prophet Salih . It was built in the 19th century during Ottoman...
. After months of harsh living conditions and after the murder of a Jew at the entrance to the settlement, only seven of the original settlers remained.
The original name of the settlement, Neveh Tzuf, was rejected by the government naming committee, arguing that it might be misleading since the biblical location, Eretz Tzuf, was elsewhere. The naming committee gave the new settlement the official name 'Halamish' instead, and since this was rejected by the settlers, both names are used for the settlement.
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Residents of the nearby Palestinian village Deir NidhamDeir Nidham
Deir Nidham is a Palestinian village in the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate in the central West Bank. It is located approximately northwest of the city of Ramallah and its elevation is...
went to the Supreme Court of Israel
Supreme Court of Israel
The Supreme Court is at the head of the court system and highest judicial instance in Israel. The Supreme Court sits in Jerusalem.The area of its jurisdiction is all of Israel and the Israeli-occupied territories. A ruling of the Supreme Court is binding upon every court, other than the Supreme...
and claimed ownership of the Havlata Hill, which is now in the centre of Halamish. Based on aerial photos from the turn of the 20th century, showing the disputed land to be barren, and Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
land law specifying that land not worked for over ten years becomes state land, the land on that hill was declared state land and freed for settlement constructions. This court ruling became the precedent for future land ownership disputes.
The residents of the nearby Palestinian village of Nabi Salih
Nabi Salih
Nabi Salih is a small Palestinian village of over 530 in the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate in the central West Bank.-Shrine of Salih:The residents of Nabi Salih identify a blue-color-domed building complex with the shrine of the prophet Salih . It was built in the 19th century during Ottoman...
regularly protest the seizure of their land by the settlers of Halamish.