Ometz, Israel

Ometz Template:Hebrew
Village entrance
Country	Israel
District	Central
Council	Hefer Valley
Affiliation	Moshavim Movement
Founded	1949
Founded by	Demobbed IDF soldiers
Population  (2022)	860

Ometz (Template:Lang-he-n, lit. Courage) is a moshav in central Israel. Located in the coastal plain near Zemer, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hefer Valley Regional Council. In 2022 it had a population of 860.

Etymology

There are two theories as to the source of the name; one is that it is from the phrase "Ometz VeGvura" (Courage and Bravery); the second is that is an acronym for Irgun Mishuhrarei Tzahal (Hebrew: ארגון משוחררי צה"ל, lit. Organisation of Demobilised IDF [soldiers]).

History

The moshav was founded in 1949 by demobilised IDF soldiers from the 32nd Battalion of the Alexandroni Brigade. The first border settlement in the Hefer Valley to be founded after the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, it was established on land that had previously belonged to the depopulated Arab village of Qaqun.