Givat HaMatos
Givat HaMatos (Hebrew: גבעת המטוס) is a caravan village (American: trailer park) in southern Jerusalem. It is populated by members of the Ethiopian Jewish community living in Israel. The village encompasses an area of approximately 170 dunams. It is bordered by Talpiot in the north, Hebron Road (part of Highway 60) in the east, Gilo in the south, and Beit Safafa in the west.
The name literally means "hill of the airplane", or Airplane Hill. It received its name after a small two-engine Israel Air Force plane crashed there on the second day of the Six-Day War (June 6, 1967); it had been hit by Jordanian anti-aircraft artillery, killing its pilot, Lt. Dan Givon.
The caravans were built on a hill in 1991 to house the large influx of Ethiopian Jews airlifted to Israel. The intention was to replace them with permanent dwellings. As of 2007, dozens of immigrant families were still living there in caravans. Various aid organizations are working there to alleviate the financial distress of families that have not been successfully absorbed in Israeli society.
1800 housing units have been built there for the Arab population in Jerusalem. [1] The city plans to remove the remaining caravans and build 4,000 housing units in an area of 1,060 dunams. Of these, about 1,800 units will be given to Arabs as an expansion of Beit Safafa toward the southeast.
In October 2011, Israel's decision to build a new settlement of 2600 homes was condemned by Britain, the EU and the UN. [2]
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Coordinates: 31°44′20.03″N 35°12′29.9″E / 31.7388972°N 35.208306°E
