Vered Yeriho
Encyclopedia
Vered Yeriho is a moshav
and Israeli settlement
near Jericho
in the Jordan valley
in the West Bank
. It belongs to the Megilot Regional Council
.
The community was founded in 1979 as a result of the dissociation of the secular nucleus from the religious nucleus in Mitzpe Yeriho, a nearby settlement to the west of Vered Yeriho. The moshav is located on a hill overlooking the Akabat Jabar refugee camp and Jericho. From the boardwalk of the moshav one can see the casino of Jericho and the northern Dead Sea
.
During the second Intifada the moshav was attacked by Palestinian militants, and the Israel Defense Forces
increased its activity in the region as a response. On one of the worst days, militants encamped on the roof of the casino in order to gain a good vantage point on what was happening around them, and started to shoot at IDF positions. The IDF, in response, blew up the entrance to the casino in order to neutralize the militants, who were also shooting at the moshav.
As of 2008, Vered Yeriho numbers 130 residents, and is accepting new residents.
The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law
, but the Israeli government disputes this.
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...
and 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...
near Jericho
Jericho
Jericho ; is a city located near the Jordan River in the West Bank of the Palestinian territories. It is the capital of the Jericho Governorate and has a population of more than 20,000. Situated well below sea level on an east-west route north of the Dead Sea, Jericho is the lowest permanently...
in the Jordan valley
Jordan Valley (Middle East)
The Jordan Valley forms part of the larger Jordan Rift Valley. It is 120 kilometers long and 15 kilometers wide, where it runs from Lake Tiberias in the north to northern Dead Sea in the south. It runs for an additional 155 kilometer south of the Dead Sea to Aqaba, an area also known as Wadi...
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...
. It belongs to the Megilot Regional Council
Megilot Regional Council
Megilot Regional Council , also Megilot Dead Sea Regional Council, is a regional council in the Judean desert near the western shores of the Dead Sea. With only and 1,000 residents, it is Israel's smallest regional council. Its municipal offices are located in Vered Yeriho.-Etymology:The name...
.
The community was founded in 1979 as a result of the dissociation of the secular nucleus from the religious nucleus in Mitzpe Yeriho, a nearby settlement to the west of Vered Yeriho. The moshav is located on a hill overlooking the Akabat Jabar refugee camp and Jericho. From the boardwalk of the moshav one can see the casino of Jericho and the northern Dead Sea
Dead Sea
The Dead Sea , also called the Salt Sea, is a salt lake bordering Jordan to the east and Israel and the West Bank to the west. Its surface and shores are below sea level, the lowest elevation on the Earth's surface. The Dead Sea is deep, the deepest hypersaline lake in the world...
.
During the second Intifada the moshav was attacked by Palestinian militants, and the Israel Defense Forces
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
increased its activity in the region as a response. On one of the worst days, militants encamped on the roof of the casino in order to gain a good vantage point on what was happening around them, and started to shoot at IDF positions. The IDF, in response, blew up the entrance to the casino in order to neutralize the militants, who were also shooting at the moshav.
As of 2008, Vered Yeriho numbers 130 residents, and is accepting new residents.
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.