Modi'in Illit: Difference between revisions

Coordinates: 31°55′50″N 35°02′30″E / 31.93056°N 35.04167°E / 31.93056; 35.04167
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===Legality dispute===
===Legality dispute===
Opponents, who comprise the vast majority of jurists both globally and in Israel, maintain that Modi'in Illit is illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/27/world/middleeast/27settlers.html?_r=1&pagewanted=1&ref=world NYTimes/MODIIN ILLIT "opponents say the settlements violate international law"</ref><ref>http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/apr/27/israel-security-barrier-protests Guardian: "The barrier at Bil'in cuts off the village from more than half its agricultural land and has allowed the continuing expansion of Jewish settlements, including the vast, ultra-Orthodox settlement of Modiin Illit, even though all settlements on occupied land are illegal under international law."</ref><ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6669545.stm "The settlements are illegal under international law, but Israel disputes this"</ref><ref>http://www.btselem.org/Download/20051104_Modiin_Ilit_Letter_Eng.pdf "B'Tselem's position on turning Modi'in Illit into a municipality: (...) The vast majority of jurists in Israel and abroad hold the opinion that the Fourth Geneva Convention is binding on Israel in the territories it occupies, and that Article 49 indeed prohibits the establishment of settlements"</ref>
Opponents claim that Modi'in Illit is illegal under international law, though Israel maintains that it is legal.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/27/world/middleeast/27settlers.html?_r=1&pagewanted=1&ref=world NYTimes/MODIIN ILLIT "opponents say the settlements violate international law"</ref><ref>http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/apr/27/israel-security-barrier-protests Guardian: "The barrier at Bil'in cuts off the village from more than half its agricultural land and has allowed the continuing expansion of Jewish settlements, including the vast, ultra-Orthodox settlement of Modiin Illit, even though all settlements on occupied land are illegal under international law."</ref><ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6669545.stm "The settlements are illegal under international law, but Israel disputes this"</ref>


Modi'in Illit received city status in 2008, by [[Aluf]] [[Gadi Shamni]]. The Israeli [[NGO]] [[B'Tselem]] appealed the decision to the [[Ministry of Interior (Israel)|Ministry of Interior]]. B'Tselem claimed that the upgrading of Modi'in Illit's status to that of a municipality was of concern because the land on which Mod'in Illit was built was declared state land through a manipulative application of [[Mecelle|Ottoman Law]], resulting in the confiscation of lands belonging to neighbouring [[Palestinian people|Palestinian]] villages. B'Tselem also stated that the upgraded status would contribute to increasing the population of Modi'In Illit, which would compound the illegality of the continued existence of the settlement. <ref>http://www.btselem.org/Download/20051104_Modiin_Ilit_Letter_Eng.pdf B'Tselem's position on turning Modi'in Illit into a municipality.</ref>
Modi'in Illit received city status in 2008, by [[Aluf]] [[Gadi Shamni]]. The Israeli [[NGO]] [[B'Tselem]] appealed the decision to the [[Ministry of Interior (Israel)|Ministry of Interior]]. B'Tselem claimed that the upgrading of Modi'in Illit's status to that of a municipality was of concern because the land on which Mod'in Illit was built was declared state land through a manipulative application of [[Mecelle|Ottoman Law]], resulting in the confiscation of lands belonging to neighbouring [[Palestinian people|Palestinian]] villages. B'Tselem also stated that the upgraded status would contribute to increasing the population of Modi'In Illit, which would compound the illegality of the continued existence of the settlement. <ref>http://www.btselem.org/Download/20051104_Modiin_Ilit_Letter_Eng.pdf B'Tselem's position on turning Modi'in Illit into a municipality.</ref>

Revision as of 22:10, 12 August 2009

Template:Infobox Israel municipality Modi'in Illit (Hebrew: מודיעין עילית, lit. Upper Modi'in) is the largest Israeli settlement and city in the West Bank.[1] Located at the foothills of the Judean Mountains, midway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, it is often referred to as Kiryat Sefer (lit. "Book Town"), the name of the its founding neighborhood.

Situated north of Modi'in, Modi'in Illit lies 2.3 kilometres (1.4 mi) from the 1967 Green Line, and 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from the 443 highway. It is unique in that it is built on privately-owned land, although its legal status is disputed. Its first homes were completed in 1994, and the local council of Modi'in Illit was given city status on March 7, 2008.

Population

According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), at the end of 2007, the town had a total population of about 38,000,[2] making it the largest Israeli settlement in the West Bank.[2] The city has a large annual growth rate of 18 percent, due to new home construction and natural population growth. An estimated 70 percent of the population is under age 40.[citation needed] There are many immigrants, mostly from England, France, Switzerland and the United States.[citation needed] The entire population of Modi'in Illit is observant Jews, following strict adherence to Shabbat, kashrut, and tzniut.[citation needed] Most residents are Ashkenazi Jews in the Lithuanian tradition,[citation needed] but there are also Sephardi and Hasidic Jews.[citation needed]

Modi'in Illit has 30 elementary schools and 20 secondary schools (seminaries and yeshivas). The city is home to many commercial enterprises. Because of its sizable English-speaking immigrant population, it has become a center for high-quality outsourcing by American companies. There are approximately 80 synagogues. A significant number of men study the Torah full time.

Situated 286 meters (938 feet) above sea level, Modi'in Illit has mild winters and hot, dry summers with temperatures averaging 32°C (88°F) during the day.

Kiryat Sefer

Kiryat Sefer, the largest neighborhood in Modi'in Illit, was established in 1994. In keeping with its name, "Book Town," each of its streets is named after a landmark sefer (book) written by Gedolei Yisrael. These include: Chofetz Chaim (by Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan), Noda BiYehuda (by Rabbi Yechezkel Landau), Meshech Chochma (by Rabbi Meir Simcha of Dvinsk), Avnei Nezer (by Rabbi Avrohom Bornsztain) and Sdei Chemed (by Rabbi Chaim Hezekiah Medini).

Kiryat Sefer was originally a biblical city, mentioned in the Book of Judges. Kiryat Sefer was destroyed by the Romans in the second century. The remains of the village was the focus of an archeological excavation during the 1990s, which has been preserved within the area of the modern city.

The second-largest neighborhood in Modi'in Ilit is Achuzat Brachfeld (Brachfeld Estates), home to a branch of the famous Mir Yeshiva. Modi'in Illit's immediate neighbors are Moshav Matityahu (home of Rabbi Zev Leff), and Hashmonaim.

Rabbi Meir Kessler is the chief rabbi and Rabbi Yaakov Gutterman is the town's mayor.

Israeli–Palestinian conflict

Terror Attack

On Monday morning, December 29, 2008 around 8 am, an Arab worker fixing a heating system on a 6th story apartment on Rebbi Yehuda HaNasi Street in Ahuzat Brachfeld struck his supervisor with a sledgehammer to his head.[3] The attacker then proceeded to the street and attacked several passersby, stabbing several of them. After he managed to stab four Jews and beat up several others, he was shot and seriously wounded by an emergency response team member.[4]

Legality dispute

Opponents claim that Modi'in Illit is illegal under international law, though Israel maintains that it is legal.[5][6][7]

Modi'in Illit received city status in 2008, by Aluf Gadi Shamni. The Israeli NGO B'Tselem appealed the decision to the Ministry of Interior. B'Tselem claimed that the upgrading of Modi'in Illit's status to that of a municipality was of concern because the land on which Mod'in Illit was built was declared state land through a manipulative application of Ottoman Law, resulting in the confiscation of lands belonging to neighbouring Palestinian villages. B'Tselem also stated that the upgraded status would contribute to increasing the population of Modi'In Illit, which would compound the illegality of the continued existence of the settlement. [8]

References

  1. ^ Cook, 2008, p. 92.
  2. ^ "Table 3 - Population of Localities Numbering Above 1,000 Residents and Other Rural Population" (PDF). Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. 2008-06-30. Retrieved 2008-10-18.
  3. ^ http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/129080
  4. ^ >[1]Modi'in Illit: Four Stabbed in Attack, Maariv(in Hebrew)
  5. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/27/world/middleeast/27settlers.html?_r=1&pagewanted=1&ref=world NYTimes/MODIIN ILLIT "opponents say the settlements violate international law"
  6. ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/apr/27/israel-security-barrier-protests Guardian: "The barrier at Bil'in cuts off the village from more than half its agricultural land and has allowed the continuing expansion of Jewish settlements, including the vast, ultra-Orthodox settlement of Modiin Illit, even though all settlements on occupied land are illegal under international law."
  7. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6669545.stm "The settlements are illegal under international law, but Israel disputes this"
  8. ^ http://www.btselem.org/Download/20051104_Modiin_Ilit_Letter_Eng.pdf B'Tselem's position on turning Modi'in Illit into a municipality.

Biliography

31°55′50″N 35°02′30″E / 31.93056°N 35.04167°E / 31.93056; 35.04167

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