Jump to content

Gilo

Coordinates: 31°44′N 35°11′E / 31.733°N 35.183°E / 31.733; 35.183
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Hertz1888 (talk | contribs) at 09:49, 18 November 2009 (→‎Shooting incidents: more cp: space after </ref>, none before <ref>). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

For other uses, see the Jerusalem neighborhood.
Street in Gilo

Gilo (Hebrew: גילֹה) is an Israeli locale in East Jerusalem, considered a settlement by the United Nations but a neighborhood of Jerusalem by Israel and the United States.[1][2] Gilo has a population of 40,000, making it one of Jerusalem's largest suburbs.[3]

History

During the 1948 War, the Egyptian army positioned its artillery at Gilo, heavily shelling West Jerusalem. An attempt to advance on Jerusalem from Gilo was beaten back in a fierce battle. Kibbutz Ramat Rachel, located just north of Gilo, changed hands three times, ultimately remaining part of Israel, but Gilo remained on the other side of the Green Line until 1967. [4]

Some of the land was owned by Jewish institutions prior to the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, although a Palestinian source states that more than 2,700 dunams of land were confiscated from Beit Jala, Beit Safafa and Sharafat.[5][6]

Geography

A view of Gilo from Beit Jala

Gilo is located on a hilltop in southwest Jerusalem, separated from Beit Jalla by a deep gorge. The Tunnels Highway to Gush Etzion runs underneath it on the east, and the settlement of Har Gilo is visible on the adjacent peak. Beit Safafa and Sharafat are located north of Gilo, while Bethlehem is to the south.[7]

Biblical Gilo

The biblical town of Gilo is mentioned in the Book of Joshua (Joshua 15:51) and the Book of Samuel (II Sam 15:12).[8] Some scholars believe that biblical Gilo was located in the central Hebron Hills, whereas the name of the modern settlement was chosen because of its proximity to Beit Jala, possibly a corruption of Gilo.[9] A city in the southwest part of the hill-country of Judah (Josh. 15:51), Gilo was the birthplace of Ahithophel "the Gilonite" (Josh. 15:51; 2 Sam. 15:12), and the place where he committed suicide (17:23). Gilo has been identified with Kurbet Jala, about 7 miles north of Hebron.[10]

Status

Gilo is located over the 1967 Green Line. According to HonestReporting, Gilo is not a "settlement" in the most widespread sense of the term, which HonestReporting states "can conjure up images of isolated enclaves in the West Bank". Gilo lies within Jerusalem's municipal boundaries and is geographically contiguous to surrounding Jewish neighborhoods that pre-dated the Six Day War. Some media outlets, including The New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, Associated Press, Boston Globe and CBS News, have described Gilo as a "neighborhood".[11] A CNN memorandum to its staff stated that "We refer to Gilo as a 'Jewish neighborhood on the outskirts of Jerusalem'... We don't refer to it as a settlement." The United States government refrains from classifying Gilo and other East Jerusalem locales as settlements, instead referring to them as neighborhoods.[12] Palestinians and media watch groups feel this is not accurate.[13] Other media outlets such as the BBC, AFP, Reuters and the Economist describe Gilo as a "settlement".[11] The United Nations also describes Gilo as an "Israeli settlement" in East Jerusalem.[14]

Shooting incidents

Concrete wall decorated with landscape mural built to shield Gilo residents from Palestinian gunfire

Between 2000-2002, during the first two years of the Second Intifada, there were over 400 shooting incidents targeting Gilo from Beit Jala.[15] Although Beit Jalla is predominantly Christian, it was infiltrated by Fatah's Tanzim gunmen, who purportedly positioned themselves in or near Christian homes and churches in the knowledge that a slight deviation in Israeli return fire would harm Christian buildings.[16]

Andreas Reinecke, head of the German Liaison office to the Palestinian Authority, protested:

I would like to draw your attention in this letter to a number of incidents which occurred at "Talitakoumi" school in Beit Jala...which is funded mainly by the Protestant Church in Berlin. Over the last few days the school staff noticed attempts on the part of several armed Palestinians to use the school premises and some of its gardens for their activities. If they succeed in doing this, an Israeli reaction will be inevitable. This will have a negative impact on the continuation of the functioning of the school, in which no less than 1,000 [Christian] Palestinians study....You cannot imagine the kind of upheaval which will be provoked among the supporters of this school [in Germany] should they discover that the school premises are used as a battle ground.[17]

The shooting included gunfire and mortar attacks.[18] Many civilians were injured and homes facing Beit Jalla suffered extensive property damage, prompting many residents to leave. The Israeli government eventually built a cement barrier and bulletproofed the outer row of homes.[15][19] The shooting on Gilo ceased entirely only after Operation Defensive Shield.

Schools and institutions

Beit HaOr, a center for autistic children, opened in Gilo in March 2008.[20] The Ilan home for handicapped adults is located in Gilo.[21] Gilo has 35 synagogues.[22] In 2009, the Gilo community center, one of the largest in the country, introduced a new hybrid water heating system that saves energy and greatly reduces pollution.[23]

Archaeology

During the construction of Gilo, archaeologists discovered a fortress and agricultural implements from the period of the First Temple above the shopping center in Rehov Haganenet. Between Canada Hill and Gilo Park, they unearthed the remains of a farm and graves from the Second Temple period. Roman and Byzantine remains have also been found at various sites. [24]

See also

References

  1. ^ Spotlight: Why is Gilo so important? BBC. 16 August, 2001.
  2. ^ Two die in Hebron clashes BBC. 3 September, 2001
  3. ^ [1] Jerusalem Post
  4. ^ A history of Jerusalem's highest neighborhood
  5. ^ "One more Obstacle to Peace": A new Israeli Neighborhood on the lands of Jerusalem city Applied Research Institute - Jerusalem, 10 March 2007
  6. ^ "Is Beit Jala burning?" Inside Israel, 4 September 2001
  7. ^ Arafat's media do support Jerusalem bus bombing - Likud of Holland
  8. ^ Gilo & Har Choma
  9. ^ http://www.hatzola.org.il/gilo.asp Gilo & Har Choma
  10. ^ Giloh (WebBible Encyclopedia) - ChristianAnswers.Net
  11. ^ a b A stabbing in Gilo
  12. ^ [2]
  13. ^ Euphemisms for Israeli Settlements Confuse Coverage FAIR, August 2002
  14. ^ Map of Israeli Settlements OCHA-OPT
  15. ^ a b The strategic significance of Har Homa | Op-Ed Contributors | Jerusalem Post
  16. ^ Associated Press, as reported in Yoram Ettinger, "The Islamization of Bethlehem by Arafat," Jerusalem Cloakroom #117, Ariel Center for Policy Research, December 25, 2001.
  17. ^ Letter from Andreas Reinecke to Colonel Jibril Rajoub, Head of the PA Preventive Security Apparatus in the West Bank, May 5, 2002, from IDF Spokesperson, May 12, 2002.
  18. ^ Winter 2001 Vol. XI, No. 1 - CPT
  19. ^ Excerpts from Briefing by Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert on the Situation in Jerusalem Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 24 October 2000
  20. ^ Alut newsletter
  21. ^ Gilo Residence of the Ilan Foundation
  22. ^ Our Jerusalem: Pain and sorrow are not a sign of weakness
  23. ^ Hybrid water heating system to be dedicated at Gilo community center
  24. ^ Jerusalem neighborhoods

31°44′N 35°11′E / 31.733°N 35.183°E / 31.733; 35.183

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gilo&oldid=326508274"