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'''Alon Shvut''' ({{lang-he-n|אַלּוֹן שְׁבוּת}}) is an [[Israeli settlement]] located southwest of [[Jerusalem]] in the [[West Bank]]. Established in June 1970 in the heart of the [[Etzion bloc]], Alon Shvut became the prototype for Jewish settlements in the region.<ref>''Between Jerusalem and Hebron: Jewish Settlement in the Pre-State Period'', Yossi Katz, Bar Ilan University Press, 1992, p. 274</ref> It is administered by the [[Gush Etzion Regional Council]] and neighbors the settlements of [[Neve Daniel]], [[Elazar, Gush Etzion|Elazar]] and [[Efrat]].<ref>[http://www.elazar.org.il/index_english.shtml Welcome to Elazar]</ref> In 2010, Alon Shvut had a population of 700 families.<ref name="nbnil"/>
'''Alon Shvut''' ({{lang-he-n|אַלּוֹן שְׁבוּת}}) is an [[Israeli settlement]] located southwest of [[Jerusalem]] in the [[West Bank]]], a geographical area historically known by its [[biblical]] names [[Judea and Samaria]].<ref>[http://www.ynet.co.il/english/articles/0,7340,L-3064414,00.html Lexicon: West Bank (Judea and Samaria)]</ref> Established in June 1970 in the heart of the [[Etzion bloc]], Alon Shvut became the prototype for Jewish settlements in the region.<ref>''Between Jerusalem and Hebron: Jewish Settlement in the Pre-State Period'', Yossi Katz, Bar Ilan University Press, 1992, p. 274</ref> It is administered by the [[Gush Etzion Regional Council]] and neighbors the settlements of [[Neve Daniel]], [[Elazar, Gush Etzion|Elazar]] and [[Efrat]].<ref>[http://www.elazar.org.il/index_english.shtml Welcome to Elazar]</ref> In 2010, Alon Shvut had a population of 700 families.<ref name="nbnil"/>


The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank [[International law and Israeli settlements|illegal under international law]], although the Israeli government disputes this.<ref name="BBC_GC4"/>
The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank [[International law and Israeli settlements|illegal under international law]], although the Israeli government disputes this.<ref name="BBC_GC4"/>

Revision as of 14:14, 1 November 2011

Alon Shvut
אַלּוֹן שְׁבוּת‎
Alon Shvut oak tree
Alon Shvut oak tree
Etymology: Oak of return
CountryIsrael
DistrictJudea and Samaria Area
CouncilGush Etzion
RegionWest Bank
Founded1970

Alon Shvut (Template:Lang-he-n) is an Israeli settlement located southwest of Jerusalem in the West Bank], a geographical area historically known by its biblical names Judea and Samaria.[1] Established in June 1970 in the heart of the Etzion bloc, Alon Shvut became the prototype for Jewish settlements in the region.[2] It is administered by the Gush Etzion Regional Council and neighbors the settlements of Neve Daniel, Elazar and Efrat.[3] In 2010, Alon Shvut had a population of 700 families.[4]

The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, although the Israeli government disputes this.[5]

Etymology

Gush Etzion Winery in Alon Shvut

Alon Shvut, literally "oak of return," is a reference to the return of the Jews expelled from Gush Etzion by the Jordanian Arab Legion in 1948 following the Kfar Etzion massacre. After the destruction of the Etzion Bloc of communities, the survivors and their children would gather yearly on the Israeli–Jordanian frontier to glimpse the sole remaining tree,[6] an oak, which became known as the "lone oak." The town was constructed adjacent to the oak, which is considered a symbol of renewal and continuity. The oak is incorporated in the municipal emblem.[7]

History

Archaeological evidence of Jewish settlement from circa 300 BCE has been found in the Giv'at HaHish area, as well as later Byzantine‑era remains including a mosaic floor.[citation needed] Alon Shvut sits on the ancient road to Jerusalem, which is still marked by Roman milestones. Many mikvehs believed to have been used by pilgrims on the way to the Temple in Jerusalem have been found in the surrounding hills. [8] Dozens of ancient grape and olive presses, as well as cisterns hewn out of the bedrock, testify to a long history of agriculture.[citation needed] Alon Shvut is adjacent to the site of ancient Battle of Beth-zechariah.[citation needed]

Alon Shvut was founded in 1970 as a residential quarter for families associated with the then-nascent Yeshivat Har Etzion hesder yeshiva. It developed as a communal and service center in a predominantly agricultural region. [4] For many years Alon Shvut housed the only health clinic, grocery, post office and bank in the area.

Legal status

The international community considers Israeli settlements a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention prohibition on the transfer of an occupying power's civilian population into occupied territory and are as such illegal under customary international law.[9] Israel disputes that the Fourth Geneva Convention applies to the Palestinian territories as they had not been legally held by a sovereign prior to Israel taking control of them. This view has been rejected as without basis in international law by the International Court of Justice and the International Committee of the Red Cross.[10][11]

Peace Now reports that private Palestinian property makes up 24.13% the land that Alon Shvut, along with the nearby Israeli outpost of Givat Hahish, is built on.[12]

Educational and religious institutions

Much of Alon Shvut's growth has been tied to the presence of Yeshivat Har Etzion. In addition to the families of faculty, many of its students have made their homes in the town. The yeshiva, housed in a large, white building overlooking the valley, also attracts many English-speaking students from around the world. The teachers are respected authorities on biblical commentary, traditional law and Jewish philosophy. [13]The Herzog College for Teachers is located in Alon Shvut. Tsomet Institute is a research institute based in Alon Shvut that seeks ways of reconciling Jewish religious law with modern technology to enable hospitals, police, fire departments and the military to carry out their duties on the Sabbath.[14]

Demography

Gush Etzion Regional Council building

In 2000, a second neighborhood doubled the size of the town to accommodate an increased demand for housing. Among the new residents were those who had been unable to acquire lots in the original neighborhood,[15] as well as many young families that had moved to Israel from abroad ("made aliyah"), especially from the United States. A third neighbourhood is planned for the Giv'at HaHish (גִּבְעֵת הִחִי"ש) area northeast of the town, named after the Haganah's HISH unit's operations there. In 2002, a group of 90 Incan Jewish immigrants from Trujillo, Peru moved into mobile homes on the site.[16]

Geography

Located in the northern Judean Hills at about 950 m above sea level, Alon Shvut is a cool and dry in summer. Winters are mild, with rainfall and a few inches of snow about once a year. The old and new neighborhoods are contiguous and lie on a northwest–southeast axis along the ridge of a hill, with a gradual plain descending to its south and dramatic gullies dropping to its north. The Givat HaHish neighborhood is on an extension of the ridge which abuts a gully to the northeast of the town.

Alon Shvut is located a few hundred meters west of the Gush Etzion Junction, where Route 60, the north–south artery which roughly follows the watershed from Nazareth through Jerusalem to Beersheba meets Route 367, which descends west into the Elah Valley to the coastal plain and Tel Aviv area. Travel time to Jerusalem is approximately 15 minutes.[4]

Economy

The Lone Tree microbrewery, established in 2010, is located in Alon Shvut. [17]In 2007, the Gush Etzion winery, a modern facility on the road to Alon Shvut, won a gold medal for its Cabernet Franc in the annual Mediterranean International Wine and Spirit Challenge, also known as Terravino.[18]

Local culture

The annual Bible-learning seminar at Herzog College is a 5-day event that attracts thousands of participants from all over the country. In 2010, over 100 leading scholars delivered 150 lectures. [19]In 2011, the seminar drew 5,000 participants and offered 200 lectures in such subjects as Biblical archaeology, hermeneutics, linguistics, poetry, history, geography, kabbalah and Jewish religious law.[20]

See also

References

  1. ^ Lexicon: West Bank (Judea and Samaria)
  2. ^ Between Jerusalem and Hebron: Jewish Settlement in the Pre-State Period, Yossi Katz, Bar Ilan University Press, 1992, p. 274
  3. ^ Welcome to Elazar
  4. ^ a b c Nefesh B'Nefesh Community Guide for Alon Shvut
  5. ^ "The Geneva Convention". BBC News. 10 December 2009. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
  6. ^ העץ הבודד Kfar Etzion website
  7. ^ Trips on the Trail of Trees in Central Israel
  8. ^ Miqveh Complex near Alon Shevut, Atiqot 38, pp. 75–84
  9. ^ The settlers' struggle BBC News. 19 December 2003
  10. ^ Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory International Court of Justice, 9 July 2004. pp. 44-45
  11. ^ Opinion of the International Court of Justice B'Tselem
  12. ^ Breaking the Law in the West Bank - One Violation Leads to Another: Israeli Settlement Building on Private Palestinian Property Peace Now. 2006 October.
  13. ^ The Settlements: Life Between the Lines, Jonathan Neumann,Standpoint Magazine
  14. ^ Alon Shevut Journal; Thank the Lord for Loopholes: Sabbath Is Safe
  15. ^ Communities in Israel Alon Shvut, NBN website
  16. ^ How 90 Peruvians became the latest Jewish settlers
  17. ^ Success is brewing, Jerusalem Post
  18. ^ Visiting small Israeli wineries
  19. ^ Annual Bible learning conference kicks off in Alon Shvut
  20. ^ Biblical rhapsody and regret

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alon_Shvut&oldid=458463130"