For other uses, see Afek

Afek

Afek is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located in the Zevulun Valley in the Western Galilee, near the archaeological site of Tel Afek and the HaKerayot agglomeration, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Asher...

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Afik is an Israeli settlement

Israeli settlement

An Israeli settlement is a Jewish civilian community built on land that was captured by Israel from Jordan, Egypt, and Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and is considered occupied territory by the international community. Such settlements currently exist in the West Bank...

 and a kibbutz

Kibbutz

A kibbutz is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism...

, and the first Jewish locale established in the Golan Heights after the Six Day War. Affiliated with Ihud HaKvutzot VeHaKibbutzim, it was established near the site of the abandoned Syria

Syria

Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....

n village named Fiq

Fiq, Syria

Fiq is a former Syrian town administratively belonging to Al Quneitra Governorate, located in the Golan Heights. Residing at an altitude of , the Israeli settlement, kibbutz, Afik was built close by. , Fiq had a population of 2,769 , but has since declined....

 on 8 May 1972. It falls under the municipal jurisdiction of the Golan Regional Council

Golan Regional Council

The Golan Regional Council is the regional council consolidating almost all Israeli settlements located on the Golan Heights. It is made up of 19 moshavim and 10 kibbutzim, and other villages...

, and the Fik Airfield is located nearby.

The international community considers Israeli settlements in the Golan Heights illegal under international law

International law and Israeli settlements

The international community considers the establishment of Israeli settlements in the Israeli-occupied territories illegal under international law, but Israel maintains that they are consistent with international law because it does not agree that the Fourth Geneva Convention applies to the...

, but the Israeli government disputes this. In 1981, Israel annexed the Golan Heights, although this declaration is not recognized by the international community and was ruled null and void by the United Nations Security Council in Resolution 497

United Nations Security Council Resolution 497

United Nations Security Council Resolution 497, adopted unanimously on December 17, 1981, calls on the State of Israel to rescind its de facto annexation of the Golan Heights...

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There are multiple locations called Aphek in the Bible

Bible

The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...

 and the location of the kibbutz is believed to be adjacent to the ruins of the ancient Aphek mentioned in the Books of Kings

Books of Kings

The Book of Kings presents a narrative history of ancient Israel and Judah from the death of David to the release of his successor Jehoiachin from imprisonment in Babylon, a period of some 400 years...

(1 Kings 20:26) which tells how King Ahab of Israel defeated Ben-Hadad I

Ben-Hadad I

Ben-Hadad I was the king of Aram Damascus between 885 BCE and 865 BCE. He was the son of Tabrimmon and grandson of Hezion and a contemporary of Kings Baasha of Israel and Asa of Judah. Asa called on Ben-Hadad I to aid him in attacking northern Israel while Baasha was restricting access to...

 of Damascus

Damascus

Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...

  and the prophet Elisha

Elisha

Elisha is a prophet mentioned in the Hebrew Bible and the Qur'an. His name is commonly transliterated into English as Elisha via Hebrew, Eliseus via Greek and Latin, or Alyasa via Arabic.-Biblical biography:...

 foretold that King Jehoash of Israel would defeat Ben-Hadad III

Ben-Hadad III

Bar-Hadad III or Ben-Hadad III was the son of Hazael, and succeeded him after his death as king of Aram Damascus. His succession is mentioned in II Kings 13:3, 24...

of Damascus.