Tekoa, Gush Etzion
Tekoa (Hebrew: תְּקוֹעַ) is an Israeli Jewish communal settlement and Israeli settlement in the northern Judean hills in the West Bank. Tekoa is within the municipal jurisdiction of the Gush Etzion Regional Council.[1] The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.[2]
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[edit] History
[edit] Antiquity
According to the Book of Samuel, Joab procured a "wise woman" from Tekoa to induce David to bring Absalom back to Jerusalem (2 Sam. 14:2, 4, 9). The village was the birthplace of Ira, the son of Ikkesh, one of King David's warriors. Tekoa is renowned for being the birthplace of the Old Testament Amos (prophet).[3](Book of Amos 1:1) The bible states that the city was founded by Ephrathites from Bethlehem in the north and Calebites from Hebron in the south. It was a fortified city and served as an administrative center.[4]
[edit] Modern era
Tekoa was established in 1975 as a Nahal outpost. In 1977 it was handed over to civilian residents.[5] The settlement is located on the top of a hill among ruins of the site of Jewish Tekoa, 5 miles south of Bethlehem at the foot of Herodion ("Herod's Palace").
[edit] Geography
Tekoa is located 2,177 feet (670 meters) above sea level on a ridge surrounded on three sides by a deep canyon, Nahal Tekoa, that runs east to the Dead Sea.[6]
[edit] Demographics
Tekoa is populated by a mix of religious Zionists and secular Israelis. Many new immigrants from the former Soviet Union also live in Tekoa. The chief rabbi of Tekoa is Menachem Froman, who maintains close ties with PLO and Hamas leaders.[7] Rabbi Froman teaches at the local hesder yeshiva headed by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz. [8]
[edit] Economy
In 1989, the Tekoa Agro-Technology Farm established in 1986 was named Enterprise of the Year by the Israeli Journal of Agricultural Settlements.[9]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.gush-etzion.org.il/communities.asp
- ^ "The Geneva Convention". BBC News. 10 December 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1682640.stm. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
- ^ Thekoa - (Tuqu'a) Studium Biblicum Franciscanum - Jerusalem.
- ^ History of Tekoa
- ^ Nahal settlements [Hebrew]
- ^ Tekoa geography
- ^ Video of Rabbi Menachem Froman signing the Froman-Amayreh Accord
- ^ http://www.gush-etzion.org.il/tekoa.asp
- ^ Tekoa Agro-Technology Ltd.
[edit] External links
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Coordinates: 31°39′10.86″N 35°13′44.52″E / 31.6530167°N 35.2290333°E
