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added Israeli to settlers as we have Palestinian militants but just the word settlers.
Owain the 1st (talk | contribs)
1,007 edits
Jusr added Israeli to settlers as that is what they are. Lots of Palestinian this and that but not much Israelis settlers..
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==Israeli-Palestinian conflict==
==Israeli-Palestinian conflict==
Itamar has been the target of several murderous attacks by Palestinian militants,<ref name="GCohen"/> while a report by Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem charged that settlers from Itamar and its outposts "have exerted violence against local Palestinians" with Israeli authorities doing little to enforce the law on the offenders.<ref name="Landgrab">{{cite web | url=http://www.btselem.org/Download/200205_Land_Grab_eng.pdf#page=95| title=Land Grab. Israel's Settlement Policy in the West Bank|publisher=B'tselem | page=99| date=May 2002| accessdate=28 March 2011 }}</ref>
Itamar has been the target of several murderous attacks by Palestinian militants,<ref name="GCohen"/> while a report by Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem charged that Israeli settlers from Itamar and its outposts "have exerted violence against local Palestinians" with Israeli authorities doing little to enforce the law on the offenders.<ref name="Landgrab">{{cite web | url=http://www.btselem.org/Download/200205_Land_Grab_eng.pdf#page=95| title=Land Grab. Israel's Settlement Policy in the West Bank|publisher=B'tselem | page=99| date=May 2002| accessdate=28 March 2011 }}</ref>


Residents of Itamar who were killed in attacks outside the settlement include Gilad Zar, 41, and Eliyahu Asheri, 18. Zar, a security officer of the [[Shomron Regional Council]] who was the son of settlement leader [[Moshe Zar]] and one of Itamar's founders, was shot dead in an ambush by Palestinian militants in May 2001 while driving in the West Bank between [[Kedumim]] and [[Yitzhar]].<ref name="Gilad">{{cite web|url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Memorial/2001/Gilad+Zar.htm|title=Gilad Zar|work=In Memory of the Victims of Palestinian Violence and Terrorism in Israel|date=29 May 2001|publisher=[[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel)]]|accessdate=13 March 2011}}</ref> Asheri was kidnapped by Palestinian [[Tanzim]] militants in June 2006 while on his way from [[Beitar Illit]] to [[Neveh Tzuf]], northwest of Ramallah, and executed while in captivity.<ref>{{cite web|title=Eliyahu Pinhas Asheri|url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Memorial/2006/Victims/Eliyahu+Pinhas+Asheri.htm|work=mfa.gov|publisher=[[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel){{!}}Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs]]|accessdate=4 April 2011|year=2006|quote=June 25, 2006 - Eliahu Asheri, 18, of Itamar was kidnapped by terrorists from the Popular Resistance Committees while hitchhiking to Neveh Tzuf, where he was studying. His body was found on June 29 in Ramallah. It is believed that he was murdered shortly after his kidnapping.}}</ref>
Residents of Itamar who were killed in attacks outside the settlement include Gilad Zar, 41, and Eliyahu Asheri, 18. Zar, a security officer of the [[Shomron Regional Council]] who was the son of settlement leader [[Moshe Zar]] and one of Itamar's founders, was shot dead in an ambush by Palestinian militants in May 2001 while driving in the West Bank between [[Kedumim]] and [[Yitzhar]].<ref name="Gilad">{{cite web|url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Memorial/2001/Gilad+Zar.htm|title=Gilad Zar|work=In Memory of the Victims of Palestinian Violence and Terrorism in Israel|date=29 May 2001|publisher=[[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel)]]|accessdate=13 March 2011}}</ref> Asheri was kidnapped by Palestinian [[Tanzim]] militants in June 2006 while on his way from [[Beitar Illit]] to [[Neveh Tzuf]], northwest of Ramallah, and executed while in captivity.<ref>{{cite web|title=Eliyahu Pinhas Asheri|url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Memorial/2006/Victims/Eliyahu+Pinhas+Asheri.htm|work=mfa.gov|publisher=[[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel){{!}}Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs]]|accessdate=4 April 2011|year=2006|quote=June 25, 2006 - Eliahu Asheri, 18, of Itamar was kidnapped by terrorists from the Popular Resistance Committees while hitchhiking to Neveh Tzuf, where he was studying. His body was found on June 29 in Ramallah. It is believed that he was murdered shortly after his kidnapping.}}</ref>
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A number of infiltrations into Itamar have also resulted in deaths. Three students of the Hitzim yeshiva high school – Netanel Riachi (17), Gilad Stiglitz (14) and Avraham Siton (17) – were killed by a Palestinian gunman in May 2002.<ref name="Netanel">{{cite web|url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Memorial/2002/2/Netanel+Riachi.htm|title=Netanel Riachi|work=In Memory of the Victims of Palestinian Violence and Terrorism in Israel|date=28 May 2002|publisher=[[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel)]]|accessdate=13 March 2011}}</ref><ref name="GiladStiglitz">{{cite web|url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Memorial/2002/2/Gilad+Stiglitz.htm|title=Gilad Stiglitz| work=In Memory of the Victims of Palestinian Violence and Terrorism in Israel|date=28 May 2002|publisher=[[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel)]]|accessdate=13 March 2011}}</ref><ref name="Avraham">{{cite web|url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Memorial/2002/2/Avraham+Siton.htm|title=Avraham Siton| work=In Memory of the Victims of Palestinian Violence and Terrorism in Israel|date=28 May 2002|publisher=[[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel)]]|accessdate=13 March 2011}}</ref> In June 2002, a Palestinian militant broke into the home of the Shabo family and opened fire, killing Rachel Shabo (40) and three of her children, Neria (16), Zvi (13), and Avishai (5). Yosef Twito, 31, who served as commander of the neighborhood preparedness team, was also shot to death in the attack, as he approached the family's home to help. Israeli soldiers were eventually able to shoot the Palestinian gunman down.<ref name="Shabo">{{cite web|url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Memorial/2002/1/Rachel-+Avishai-+Zvika+and+Neria+Shabo.htm|title=Rachel, Avishai, Zvika and Neria Shabo| work=In Memory of the Victims of Palestinian Violence and Terrorism in Israel|date=20 Jun 2002|publisher=[[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel)]]|accessdate=13 March 2011}}</ref><ref name="Twito">{{cite web|url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Memorial/2002/1/Yosef+Twito.htm|title=Yosef Twito |work=In Memory of the Victims of Palestinian Violence and Terrorism in Israel|date=20 Jun 2002|publisher=[[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel)]]|accessdate=13 March 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Shragai|first=Nadav|title=Itamar mourns its latest victims of terror|url=http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/itamar-mourns-its-latest-victims-of-terror-1.41642|accessdate=12 March 2011|newspaper=[[Haaretz]]|date=23 June 2002}}</ref> In March 2011 an intruder or intruders, whom Israeli officials believe to have been Palestinian, broke into the home of the Fogel family and [[Itamar killings|stabbed to death]] five members of the family in their sleep: Udi Fogel (36), Ruth Fogel (35), and their children Yoav (11), Elad (4), and Hadas (3 months).<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12721170 Palestinian kills five Israelis in West Bank], BBC 12-03-2011</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Altman|first=Yair|title=Itamar massacre: Fogel family butchered while sleeping|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4041237,00.html|accessdate=13 March 2011|newspaper=YNET news|date=03.13.11}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Memorial/2011/Itamar/Udi_Fogel.htm|title=Udi Fogel|work=In Memory of the Victims of Palestinian Violence and Terrorism in Israel|date=11 March 2011|publisher=[[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel)]]|accessdate=15 March 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Memorial/2011/Itamar/Ruth_Fogel.htm|title=Ruth Fogel|work=In Memory of the Victims of Palestinian Violence and Terrorism in Israel|date=11 March 2011|publisher=[[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel)]]|accessdate=15 March 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Kershner|first=Isabel|title=Israeli Search for Attackers in West Bank| url=http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/13/world/middleeast/13mideast.html|accessdate=12 March 2011|newspaper=New York Times|date=12 March 2011}}</ref>
A number of infiltrations into Itamar have also resulted in deaths. Three students of the Hitzim yeshiva high school – Netanel Riachi (17), Gilad Stiglitz (14) and Avraham Siton (17) – were killed by a Palestinian gunman in May 2002.<ref name="Netanel">{{cite web|url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Memorial/2002/2/Netanel+Riachi.htm|title=Netanel Riachi|work=In Memory of the Victims of Palestinian Violence and Terrorism in Israel|date=28 May 2002|publisher=[[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel)]]|accessdate=13 March 2011}}</ref><ref name="GiladStiglitz">{{cite web|url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Memorial/2002/2/Gilad+Stiglitz.htm|title=Gilad Stiglitz| work=In Memory of the Victims of Palestinian Violence and Terrorism in Israel|date=28 May 2002|publisher=[[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel)]]|accessdate=13 March 2011}}</ref><ref name="Avraham">{{cite web|url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Memorial/2002/2/Avraham+Siton.htm|title=Avraham Siton| work=In Memory of the Victims of Palestinian Violence and Terrorism in Israel|date=28 May 2002|publisher=[[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel)]]|accessdate=13 March 2011}}</ref> In June 2002, a Palestinian militant broke into the home of the Shabo family and opened fire, killing Rachel Shabo (40) and three of her children, Neria (16), Zvi (13), and Avishai (5). Yosef Twito, 31, who served as commander of the neighborhood preparedness team, was also shot to death in the attack, as he approached the family's home to help. Israeli soldiers were eventually able to shoot the Palestinian gunman down.<ref name="Shabo">{{cite web|url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Memorial/2002/1/Rachel-+Avishai-+Zvika+and+Neria+Shabo.htm|title=Rachel, Avishai, Zvika and Neria Shabo| work=In Memory of the Victims of Palestinian Violence and Terrorism in Israel|date=20 Jun 2002|publisher=[[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel)]]|accessdate=13 March 2011}}</ref><ref name="Twito">{{cite web|url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Memorial/2002/1/Yosef+Twito.htm|title=Yosef Twito |work=In Memory of the Victims of Palestinian Violence and Terrorism in Israel|date=20 Jun 2002|publisher=[[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel)]]|accessdate=13 March 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Shragai|first=Nadav|title=Itamar mourns its latest victims of terror|url=http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/itamar-mourns-its-latest-victims-of-terror-1.41642|accessdate=12 March 2011|newspaper=[[Haaretz]]|date=23 June 2002}}</ref> In March 2011 an intruder or intruders, whom Israeli officials believe to have been Palestinian, broke into the home of the Fogel family and [[Itamar killings|stabbed to death]] five members of the family in their sleep: Udi Fogel (36), Ruth Fogel (35), and their children Yoav (11), Elad (4), and Hadas (3 months).<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12721170 Palestinian kills five Israelis in West Bank], BBC 12-03-2011</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Altman|first=Yair|title=Itamar massacre: Fogel family butchered while sleeping|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4041237,00.html|accessdate=13 March 2011|newspaper=YNET news|date=03.13.11}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Memorial/2011/Itamar/Udi_Fogel.htm|title=Udi Fogel|work=In Memory of the Victims of Palestinian Violence and Terrorism in Israel|date=11 March 2011|publisher=[[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel)]]|accessdate=15 March 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Memorial/2011/Itamar/Ruth_Fogel.htm|title=Ruth Fogel|work=In Memory of the Victims of Palestinian Violence and Terrorism in Israel|date=11 March 2011|publisher=[[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel)]]|accessdate=15 March 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Kershner|first=Isabel|title=Israeli Search for Attackers in West Bank| url=http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/13/world/middleeast/13mideast.html|accessdate=12 March 2011|newspaper=New York Times|date=12 March 2011}}</ref>


Residents of Itamar have been blamed for killing Palestinians, damaging their property and obstructing their access to land. In October 2002, settlers, believed by [[B'Tselem]] to be "most likely" from Itamar, shot at Palestinians who were [[Olive#Fruit_harvest_and_processing|harvesting olives]] near the village of [[Aqraba]], killing one of them and wounding another.<ref>{{cite web| last=|first=|url=http://www.btselem.org/Download/20021006_Olive_Harvest_Letter_Eng.doc|title=B'Tselem's Letter to the IDF and the Israeli Police Re: Security for the Olive Harvest|publisher=B'tselem|page=1|date=6 October 2002|accessdate=28 March 2011|quote=Settlers, most likely from the nearby settlement of Itamar, fired at Palestinians who were harvesting olives, killing one and wounding another.}}</ref> In March 2010, two Palestinian teenagers from the nearby town of [[Awarta]], Muhammad and Salah Qawariq, were shot to death while they collected garbage near Itamar, reportedly for having tried to attack an Israeli soldier with a pitchfork and an ax.<ref name="latimes">{{cite web|last=Sanders |first=Edmund |title=Brutal West Bank killings shock Israel, stir fears of renewed violence|url=http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-israel-settlement-killings-20110313,0,3329690.story| publisher=Los Angeles Times |date=13 March 2011|accessdate=26 March 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Kershner|first=Isabel|title=Israel Scours Palestinian Village in Hunt for Killers|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/05/world/middleeast/05awarta.html?_r=1|accessdate=4 April 2011|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=4 April 2011|location=[[Awarta]]|quote=According to the Islamic calendar the Itamar killings took place a year almost to the day after two 19-year-old cousins from Awarta, Muhammad Qawariq and Salah Qawariq, were shot dead by Israeli soldiers on the village lands. At the time the Israeli military said the cousins had tried to attack a soldier with a pitchfork and an ax. After an investigation the military admitted that the shooting was unnecessary, and that if the soldiers had operated in a more professional manner they could have avoided the need to open fire.}}</ref>
Israeli residents of Itamar have been blamed for killing Palestinians, damaging their property and obstructing their access to land. In October 2002,Israeli settlers, believed by [[B'Tselem]] to be "most likely" from Itamar, shot at Palestinians who were [[Olive#Fruit_harvest_and_processing|harvesting olives]] near the village of [[Aqraba]], killing one of them and wounding another.<ref>{{cite web| last=|first=|url=http://www.btselem.org/Download/20021006_Olive_Harvest_Letter_Eng.doc|title=B'Tselem's Letter to the IDF and the Israeli Police Re: Security for the Olive Harvest|publisher=B'tselem|page=1|date=6 October 2002|accessdate=28 March 2011|quote=Settlers, most likely from the nearby settlement of Itamar, fired at Palestinians who were harvesting olives, killing one and wounding another.}}</ref> In March 2010, two Palestinian teenagers from the nearby town of [[Awarta]], Muhammad and Salah Qawariq, were shot to death while they collected garbage near Itamar, reportedly for having tried to attack an Israeli soldier with a pitchfork and an ax.<ref name="latimes">{{cite web|last=Sanders |first=Edmund |title=Brutal West Bank killings shock Israel, stir fears of renewed violence|url=http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-israel-settlement-killings-20110313,0,3329690.story| publisher=Los Angeles Times |date=13 March 2011|accessdate=26 March 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Kershner|first=Isabel|title=Israel Scours Palestinian Village in Hunt for Killers|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/05/world/middleeast/05awarta.html?_r=1|accessdate=4 April 2011|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=4 April 2011|location=[[Awarta]]|quote=According to the Islamic calendar the Itamar killings took place a year almost to the day after two 19-year-old cousins from Awarta, Muhammad Qawariq and Salah Qawariq, were shot dead by Israeli soldiers on the village lands. At the time the Israeli military said the cousins had tried to attack a soldier with a pitchfork and an ax. After an investigation the military admitted that the shooting was unnecessary, and that if the soldiers had operated in a more professional manner they could have avoided the need to open fire.}}</ref>


The [[United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs]] (UNOCHA) reported that settlers from Itamar burnt approximately 400 olive trees on land belonging to Palestinians from the nearby village of [[Awarta]] in September 2008.<ref name="ocha2008-12">{{cite web|url=http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_settler_vilonce_special_focus_2008_12_18.pdf#page=8|title=Unprotected: Israeli settler violence against Palestinian civilians and their property|date=December 2008| work=OCHA Special Focus occupied Palestinian territory|page=8| publisher=United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs|accessdate=31 March 2011}}</ref> UNOCHA also reported that settlers were shooting in the air to chase herders from the village of [[Yanun]] out of a grazing area near Itamar in late August 2009.<ref name="ocha2009-09">{{cite web| url=http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_protection_of_civilianc_weekly_report_2009_09_03_english.pdf#page=2|title=Protection of Civilians 26 August-1 September 2010| date=September 2009| work=|page=2| publisher=United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs|accessdate=31 March 2011}}</ref> In August 2010, UNOCHA reports, that according to the village council of Awarta, settlers from Itamar prevented Palestinian farmers and international activists to reach an area of some 10,000 dunams of agricultural land that “constitutes the livelihood of the vast majority of the population of ‘Awarta”.<ref name="ocha2010-08">{{cite web| url=http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_protection_of_civilians_2010_08_27_english.pdf#page=2|title=Protection of Civilians 18-24 August 2010| date=August 2010| work=|page=2| publisher=United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs|accessdate=31 March 2011}}</ref> In September of the same year, UNOCHA got reports which indicate that settlers from Itamar stole from olive trees belonging to villagers from Awarta.<ref name="ocha2010-09">{{cite web| url=http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_protection_of_civilians_2010_10_01_english.pdf#page=2|title=Protection of Civilians 22-28 September 2010| date=October 2010| work=|page=2| publisher=United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs|accessdate=31 March 2011}}</ref>
The [[United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs]] (UNOCHA) reported that Israeli settlers from Itamar burnt approximately 400 olive trees on land belonging to Palestinians from the nearby village of [[Awarta]] in September 2008.<ref name="ocha2008-12">{{cite web|url=http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_settler_vilonce_special_focus_2008_12_18.pdf#page=8|title=Unprotected: Israeli settler violence against Palestinian civilians and their property|date=December 2008| work=OCHA Special Focus occupied Palestinian territory|page=8| publisher=United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs|accessdate=31 March 2011}}</ref> UNOCHA also reported that Israeli settlers were shooting in the air to chase herders from the village of [[Yanun]] out of a grazing area near Itamar in late August 2009.<ref name="ocha2009-09">{{cite web| url=http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_protection_of_civilianc_weekly_report_2009_09_03_english.pdf#page=2|title=Protection of Civilians 26 August-1 September 2010| date=September 2009| work=|page=2| publisher=United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs|accessdate=31 March 2011}}</ref> In August 2010, UNOCHA reports, that according to the village council of Awarta,Israeli settlers from Itamar prevented Palestinian farmers and international activists to reach an area of some 10,000 dunams of agricultural land that “constitutes the livelihood of the vast majority of the population of ‘Awarta”.<ref name="ocha2010-08">{{cite web| url=http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_protection_of_civilians_2010_08_27_english.pdf#page=2|title=Protection of Civilians 18-24 August 2010| date=August 2010| work=|page=2| publisher=United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs|accessdate=31 March 2011}}</ref> In September of the same year, UNOCHA got reports which indicate that Israeli settlers from Itamar stole from olive trees belonging to villagers from Awarta.<ref name="ocha2010-09">{{cite web| url=http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_protection_of_civilians_2010_10_01_english.pdf#page=2|title=Protection of Civilians 22-28 September 2010| date=October 2010| work=|page=2| publisher=United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs|accessdate=31 March 2011}}</ref>


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 14:02, 8 April 2011

For other uses, see Ithamar.
Itamar
Template:Hebrew
CountryIsrael
CouncilShomron
RegionWest Bank
Founded1984
Founded byAmana
Population
 (2009)
1,032

Itamar (Template:Lang-he-n) is an Israeli settlement located in the West Bank's Samarian mountains five kilometers southeast of Nablus. The predominantly Orthodox Jewish community with a population of 1,032 (2009) is within the municipal jurisdiction of the Shomron Regional Council.[1] Under the terms of the Oslo Accords of 1993 between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization, Itamar was designated Area "C" under full Israeli civil and security control.

The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.[2] According to a Peace Now report of 2006, 45 percent of the land Itamar is built on, is privately owned, all or most of it by Palestinians.[3] Settlements on privately owned Palestinian land are illegal according to international and Israeli law.[4] The settlement has several outposts and covers a total area of approximately 7,000 dunams of land.[5]

Itamar's residents have been the target of several deadly attacks by Palestinian militants,[6] and the UN and NGOs report an extensive number of violent acts by Israeli settlers from Itamar and its outposts against local Palestinians.[7]

History

The settlement was established in 1984 by several families from the Machon Meir Yeshiva in Jerusalem with the assistance of Gush Emunim's settlement organization Amana.[8] Originally named Tel Chaim, commemorating Chaim Landau, it was later named for Ithamar, the youngest son of Biblical figure Aaron. Tradition places the burial place of Ithamar in the nearby Palestinian village Awarta.[9]

Geography

Itamar is situated east of the Israel-Westbank separation barrier, 28 kilometers from the Green line in the region known as “Gav Hahar” (Hump of the Mountain). Its municipal boundaries extend in a south-east diagonal over an area of some 7,000 dunam including several outposts, the furthest of which is about eight kilometers from Itamar. Itamar and its outposts partly encircle the small Palestinian village of Yanun,[7] and block the development of the Palestinian town of Beit Furik, according to a report by Israeli human rights organization B'tselem.[5]

In the 1990s, Itamar “annexed” the surrounding hills, establishing the outposts The Point in 1996, Hill 836, Hill 851 and Giv'ot Olam in 1998, Hill 777 and Hill 782 in 1999, and in 2002 Itamar North.[10] Five of these outposts were approved by former prime minister Ehud Barak in 2000.[11] At the time, a master plan gave the settlement a total area of some 6,000 dunams.[12] Of the 4,780 dunams of land Itamar proper sits on, 45 percent is privately owned (presumably) Palestinian land, according to Peace Now.[4]

Economy

Itamar was among the settlements which were designated a “national priority zone” in December 2009, and is entitled to an average of NIS 1,000 per person per year in subsidies in addition to the ordinary settlement subsidies.[13]

There are several businesses in the settlement, and many of the residents grow organic crops and raise sheep and goats;[14] larger farms produce a range of further products, such as cheese and olive oil.[15]

Education

Itamar's educational system includes kindergarten, elementary school for boys and girls, and several institutions of secondary education and higher learning which attract Jewish students from the entire region. Among them are a Talmud Torah for boys, the Be'er Miriam Talmud Torah for girls,[citation needed] the Hitzim yeshiva high school for boys, co-founded by Rabbi Moshe Goldsmith who also serves as mayor of Itamar,[16] and the Itamar Hesder yeshiva founded by Rabbi Brigadier General Avichai Ronsky, IDF Chief Rabbi from 2006 till 2010.[17]

Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Itamar has been the target of several murderous attacks by Palestinian militants,[6] while a report by Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem charged that Israeli settlers from Itamar and its outposts "have exerted violence against local Palestinians" with Israeli authorities doing little to enforce the law on the offenders.[5]

Residents of Itamar who were killed in attacks outside the settlement include Gilad Zar, 41, and Eliyahu Asheri, 18. Zar, a security officer of the Shomron Regional Council who was the son of settlement leader Moshe Zar and one of Itamar's founders, was shot dead in an ambush by Palestinian militants in May 2001 while driving in the West Bank between Kedumim and Yitzhar.[18] Asheri was kidnapped by Palestinian Tanzim militants in June 2006 while on his way from Beitar Illit to Neveh Tzuf, northwest of Ramallah, and executed while in captivity.[19]

A number of infiltrations into Itamar have also resulted in deaths. Three students of the Hitzim yeshiva high school – Netanel Riachi (17), Gilad Stiglitz (14) and Avraham Siton (17) – were killed by a Palestinian gunman in May 2002.[20][21][22] In June 2002, a Palestinian militant broke into the home of the Shabo family and opened fire, killing Rachel Shabo (40) and three of her children, Neria (16), Zvi (13), and Avishai (5). Yosef Twito, 31, who served as commander of the neighborhood preparedness team, was also shot to death in the attack, as he approached the family's home to help. Israeli soldiers were eventually able to shoot the Palestinian gunman down.[23][24][25] In March 2011 an intruder or intruders, whom Israeli officials believe to have been Palestinian, broke into the home of the Fogel family and stabbed to death five members of the family in their sleep: Udi Fogel (36), Ruth Fogel (35), and their children Yoav (11), Elad (4), and Hadas (3 months).[26][27][28][29][30]

Israeli residents of Itamar have been blamed for killing Palestinians, damaging their property and obstructing their access to land. In October 2002,Israeli settlers, believed by B'Tselem to be "most likely" from Itamar, shot at Palestinians who were harvesting olives near the village of Aqraba, killing one of them and wounding another.[31] In March 2010, two Palestinian teenagers from the nearby town of Awarta, Muhammad and Salah Qawariq, were shot to death while they collected garbage near Itamar, reportedly for having tried to attack an Israeli soldier with a pitchfork and an ax.[32][33]

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) reported that Israeli settlers from Itamar burnt approximately 400 olive trees on land belonging to Palestinians from the nearby village of Awarta in September 2008.[34] UNOCHA also reported that Israeli settlers were shooting in the air to chase herders from the village of Yanun out of a grazing area near Itamar in late August 2009.[35] In August 2010, UNOCHA reports, that according to the village council of Awarta,Israeli settlers from Itamar prevented Palestinian farmers and international activists to reach an area of some 10,000 dunams of agricultural land that “constitutes the livelihood of the vast majority of the population of ‘Awarta”.[36] In September of the same year, UNOCHA got reports which indicate that Israeli settlers from Itamar stole from olive trees belonging to villagers from Awarta.[37]

References

  1. ^ "Settlements list". Peace Now. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
  2. ^ "The Geneva Convention". BBC News. 10 December 2009. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
  3. ^ "Settlement are built on Private Palestinian Land". Peace Now. 14 March 2007. Retrieved 6 April 2011. In the data provided by the Civil Administration "there is no mention of whether the private land is owned by Palestinians or by Jews... Nevertheless, it is highly probable that most of the land that is marked here as private land (if not all of it) is privately-owned Palestinian land".
  4. ^ a b "GUILTY! Construction of Settlements upon Private Land – Official Data" (PDF). Peace Now. 2006. Retrieved 6 April 2011.
  5. ^ a b c "Land Grab. Israel's Settlement Policy in the West Bank" (PDF). B'tselem. May 2002. p. 99. Retrieved 28 March 2011.
  6. ^ a b Cohen, Gili (13 March 2011). "Itamar settlement has been a prime target for terror". Haaretz. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
  7. ^ a b "Separate and Unequal: Israel's Discriminatory Treatment of Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories" (PDF). Human Rights Watch. December 2010. p. 101ff. Retrieved 6 April 2011.
  8. ^ Amana:"Itamar"
  9. ^ “Itamar”. Shomron Liaison Office
  10. ^ "Settlement Outposts". Foundation for Middle East Peace. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
  11. ^ Shragai, Nadav (16 June 2006). "The Outposts / Hill 777 residents face being forced out a second time". Haaretz. Retrieved 6 April 2011.
  12. ^ Shragai, Nadav (9 June 2006). "'Can the law of the country even be called a law?'". Haaretz. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
  13. ^ Ravid, Barak (10 December 2009). "PM's plan would put some settlements on map of national priority communities". Haaretz. Retrieved 6 April 2011.
  14. ^ Itamar: Religious West Bank settlers BBC News, 21 June 2002
  15. ^ Itamar website
  16. ^ Lev, David (13 March 2011). "Mayor of Itamar: 'Strong Backbone of Love' Holds Us Up". Arutz Sheva. Retrieved 6 April 2011.
  17. ^ "Ronsky's contribution". Jerusalem Post. 24 Mai 2010. Retrieved 6 April 2011. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ "Gilad Zar". In Memory of the Victims of Palestinian Violence and Terrorism in Israel. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel). 29 May 2001. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  19. ^ "Eliyahu Pinhas Asheri". mfa.gov. Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 2006. Retrieved 4 April 2011. June 25, 2006 - Eliahu Asheri, 18, of Itamar was kidnapped by terrorists from the Popular Resistance Committees while hitchhiking to Neveh Tzuf, where he was studying. His body was found on June 29 in Ramallah. It is believed that he was murdered shortly after his kidnapping.
  20. ^ "Netanel Riachi". In Memory of the Victims of Palestinian Violence and Terrorism in Israel. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel). 28 May 2002. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  21. ^ "Gilad Stiglitz". In Memory of the Victims of Palestinian Violence and Terrorism in Israel. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel). 28 May 2002. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  22. ^ "Avraham Siton". In Memory of the Victims of Palestinian Violence and Terrorism in Israel. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel). 28 May 2002. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  23. ^ "Rachel, Avishai, Zvika and Neria Shabo". In Memory of the Victims of Palestinian Violence and Terrorism in Israel. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel). 20 Jun 2002. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  24. ^ "Yosef Twito". In Memory of the Victims of Palestinian Violence and Terrorism in Israel. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel). 20 Jun 2002. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  25. ^ Shragai, Nadav (23 June 2002). "Itamar mourns its latest victims of terror". Haaretz. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
  26. ^ Palestinian kills five Israelis in West Bank, BBC 12-03-2011
  27. ^ Altman, Yair (03.13.11). "Itamar massacre: Fogel family butchered while sleeping". YNET news. Retrieved 13 March 2011. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  28. ^ "Udi Fogel". In Memory of the Victims of Palestinian Violence and Terrorism in Israel. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel). 11 March 2011. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
  29. ^ "Ruth Fogel". In Memory of the Victims of Palestinian Violence and Terrorism in Israel. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel). 11 March 2011. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
  30. ^ Kershner, Isabel (12 March 2011). "Israeli Search for Attackers in West Bank". New York Times. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
  31. ^ "B'Tselem's Letter to the IDF and the Israeli Police Re: Security for the Olive Harvest". B'tselem. 6 October 2002. p. 1. Retrieved 28 March 2011. Settlers, most likely from the nearby settlement of Itamar, fired at Palestinians who were harvesting olives, killing one and wounding another.
  32. ^ Sanders, Edmund (13 March 2011). "Brutal West Bank killings shock Israel, stir fears of renewed violence". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 26 March 2011.
  33. ^ Kershner, Isabel (4 April 2011). "Israel Scours Palestinian Village in Hunt for Killers". The New York Times. Awarta. Retrieved 4 April 2011. According to the Islamic calendar the Itamar killings took place a year almost to the day after two 19-year-old cousins from Awarta, Muhammad Qawariq and Salah Qawariq, were shot dead by Israeli soldiers on the village lands. At the time the Israeli military said the cousins had tried to attack a soldier with a pitchfork and an ax. After an investigation the military admitted that the shooting was unnecessary, and that if the soldiers had operated in a more professional manner they could have avoided the need to open fire.
  34. ^ "Unprotected: Israeli settler violence against Palestinian civilians and their property" (PDF). OCHA Special Focus occupied Palestinian territory. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. December 2008. p. 8. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
  35. ^ "Protection of Civilians 26 August-1 September 2010" (PDF). United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. September 2009. p. 2. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
  36. ^ "Protection of Civilians 18-24 August 2010" (PDF). United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. August 2010. p. 2. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
  37. ^ "Protection of Civilians 22-28 September 2010" (PDF). United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. October 2010. p. 2. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
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