Bnei Atzmon
Encyclopedia
Bnei Atzmon was an Israeli settlement
founded in 1979 in the Yamit
region of the Sinai
peninsula as a response to Camp David Accords
, which promoted trading territory for peace
. Relocated to the Gaza Strip
in 1982, it was destroyed in 2005 by the Israeli government.
In 1982, the settlement was relocated to the Gush Katif
region of the Gaza Strip about three kilometres north of Rafah
after the signing of the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty
and the subsequent eviction of all Jews living in Sinai and surrender of all land there. The settlement in Sinai was originally named Atzmona, but since that location was evacuated and Israeli law forbids renaming a new location with that of a previously existing legal entity, Bnei Atzmon (Sons of Atzmon) became the officially registered name. Nonetheless, the name Atzmona was more widely known. The Orthodox
Jewish moshav
was associated with the Amana settlement organization.
It was home to about 90 families, including just under 600 people, at the time of its destruction as a result of Israel's unilateral disengagement plan
on August 17, 2005. While some form of opposition had been expected from residents in this nationalistic settlement, the actual expulsion was carried out without active or even passive resistance. The pre-army preparatory program was also pulled without resistance, with the participation of several senior army officers who had been invited especially for this "pull-out."
School for nearby children was located in Bnei Atzmon, as well as the prestigious pre-army service preparatory school, Otzem, with 150 students under the leadership of the Rabbi Rafi Peretz
. On the settlement was a branch of the Ariel youth organization.
and a factory producing cleaning materials.
In the cooperative settlement, there was area of more than 50,000 dunam
s (50 km²) of field crops in the Besor
area, 12 dunams (12,000 m²) of turkey
coops, a barn, and a building company.
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...
founded in 1979 in the Yamit
Yamit
Yamit was an Israeli settlement in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula with a population of about 2,500 people .The settlement was established during Israel's occupation of the peninsula from the end of the 1967 Six-Day War, until that part of the Sinai was handed over to Egypt in 1982 as...
region of the Sinai
Sinai Peninsula
The Sinai Peninsula or Sinai is a triangular peninsula in Egypt about in area. It is situated between the Mediterranean Sea to the north, and the Red Sea to the south, and is the only part of Egyptian territory located in Asia as opposed to Africa, effectively serving as a land bridge between two...
peninsula as a response to Camp David Accords
Camp David Accords
The Camp David Accords were signed by Egyptian President Anwar El Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin on September 17, 1978, following thirteen days of secret negotiations at Camp David. The two framework agreements were signed at the White House, and were witnessed by United States...
, which promoted trading territory for peace
Land for peace
Land for peace is an interpretation of UN Security Council Resolution 242 which has formed the basis of subsequent Arab-Israeli peace making. The name Land for Peace is derived from the wording of the resolution's first operative paragraph which affirms that peace should include the application of...
. Relocated to the Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
in 1982, it was destroyed in 2005 by the Israeli government.
In 1982, the settlement was relocated to the Gush Katif
Gush Katif
Gush Katif was a bloc of 17 Israeli settlements in the southern Gaza strip. Gush Katif was specifically mentioned by Yitzhak Rabin, the Israeli prime minister who fell victim to an assassin in 1995, as essential to Israel's security border. In August 2005, the Israeli army moved the 8,600...
region of the Gaza Strip about three kilometres north of Rafah
Rafah
Rafah , also known as Rafiah, is a Palestinian city in the southern Gaza Strip. Located south of Gaza, Rafah's population of 71,003 is overwhelmingly made up of Palestinian refugees. Rafah camp and Tall as-Sultan form separate localities. Rafah is the district capital of the Rafah Governorate...
after the signing of the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty
Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty
The 1979 Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty was signed in Washington, D.C. on the 26th of March 1979, following the 1978 Camp David Accords, which were signed by Egyptian President Anwar El Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, and were witnessed by United States President Jimmy Carter.The peace...
and the subsequent eviction of all Jews living in Sinai and surrender of all land there. The settlement in Sinai was originally named Atzmona, but since that location was evacuated and Israeli law forbids renaming a new location with that of a previously existing legal entity, Bnei Atzmon (Sons of Atzmon) became the officially registered name. Nonetheless, the name Atzmona was more widely known. The Orthodox
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
Jewish moshav
Moshav
Moshav is a type of Israeli town or settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists during the second aliyah...
was associated with the Amana settlement organization.
It was home to about 90 families, including just under 600 people, at the time of its destruction as a result of Israel's unilateral disengagement plan
Israel's unilateral disengagement plan
Israel's unilateral disengagement plan , also known as the "Disengagement plan", "Gaza expulsion plan", and "Hitnatkut", was a proposal by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, adopted by the government on June 6, 2004 and enacted in August 2005, to evict all Israelis from the Gaza Strip and from...
on August 17, 2005. While some form of opposition had been expected from residents in this nationalistic settlement, the actual expulsion was carried out without active or even passive resistance. The pre-army preparatory program was also pulled without resistance, with the participation of several senior army officers who had been invited especially for this "pull-out."
Education
The Regional Talmud TorahTalmud Torah
Talmud Torah schools were created in the Jewish world, both Ashkenazic and Sephardic, as a form of public primary school for boys of modest backgrounds, where they were given an elementary education in Hebrew, the Scriptures , and the Talmud...
School for nearby children was located in Bnei Atzmon, as well as the prestigious pre-army service preparatory school, Otzem, with 150 students under the leadership of the Rabbi Rafi Peretz
Rafi Peretz
Rabbi Rafi Peretz is the Chief Military Rabbi of the Israel Defence Forces, succeeding Rabbi Avichai Rontzki in mid-2010.Prior to being promoted to the rank of brigadier general, Peretz was the head of the Otzem Pre-Military Academy in Yated, which was relocated from Bnei Atzmon, where he...
. On the settlement was a branch of the Ariel youth organization.
Economy
Several local industries provided employment for residents areas including the "Atzmona nursery" for house plants, which was the second largest in IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and a factory producing cleaning materials.
In the cooperative settlement, there was area of more than 50,000 dunam
Dunam
A dunam or dönüm, dunum, donum, dynym, dulum was a non-SI unit of land area used in the Ottoman Empire and representing the amount of land that can be plowed in a day; its value varied from 900–2500 m²...
s (50 km²) of field crops in the Besor
Besor
HaBesor is a wadi in southern Israel. The stream begins at Mount Boker , and spills into the Mediterranean Sea near Deir al-Balah in the Gaza Strip, where it is called Wadi Gaza...
area, 12 dunams (12,000 m²) of turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
coops, a barn, and a building company.