Dikla
Encyclopedia
Dikla was an Israeli settlement
in the northeastern part of the Sinai Peninsula
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 part of the terms of the 1979 Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty
.
Located in the Rafah Plain region south of the Gaza Strip
, Dikla was established in May 1969 as a pioneer Nahal
outpost known as Dekalim (palms). The namesake for the community was a palm reportedly planted by World War I
spy Avshalom Feinberg
, who was killed in this area by a Bedouin. He was traveling between Palestine an Egypt, delivering intelligence for the British. A date in his pocket became the namesake palm. The outpost was later demilitarized and handed over for residential purposes.
The first residents came from the right-wing Betar
movement, linked to the Likud
party of Menachem Begin
. Land for the community totaled 500 acres (2 km²).
Following the forced evacuation and demolition of Dikla, a replacement community, Neve Dekalim was founded in the Gaza Strip
. It eventually grew to become the largest Jewish settlement in Gaza, and the administrative center of the Gush Katif
bloc. Following the precedent set in Sinai, Neve Dekalim was demolished due to Israel's unilateral disengagement plan
from Gaza in August 2005.
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...
in the northeastern part of the Sinai Peninsula
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...
established during Israel's occupation of the peninsula from the end of the 1967 Six-Day War
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War , also known as the June War, 1967 Arab-Israeli War, or Third Arab-Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt , Jordan, and Syria...
, until that part of the Sinai was handed over to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
in 1982 as part of the terms of the 1979 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...
.
Located in the Rafah Plain region south of 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...
, Dikla was established in May 1969 as a pioneer Nahal
Nahal
Nahal is an Israel Defense Forces infantry brigade. Historically, it refers to a program that combines military service and establishment of new agricultural settlements, often in outlying areas...
outpost known as Dekalim (palms). The namesake for the community was a palm reportedly planted by World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
spy Avshalom Feinberg
Avshalom Feinberg
Avshalom Feinberg was one of the leaders of Nili, a Jewish spy network in Ottoman Palestine helping the British fight the Ottoman Empire during World War I....
, who was killed in this area by a Bedouin. He was traveling between Palestine an Egypt, delivering intelligence for the British. A date in his pocket became the namesake palm. The outpost was later demilitarized and handed over for residential purposes.
The first residents came from the right-wing Betar
Betar
The Betar Movement is a Revisionist Zionist youth movement founded in 1923 in Riga, Latvia, by Vladimir Jabotinsky. It has been traditionally linked to the original Herut and then Likud political parties of Israel, and was closely affiliated with the pre-Israel Revisionist Zionist splinter group...
movement, linked to the Likud
Likud
Likud is the major center-right political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin in an alliance with several right-wing and liberal parties. Likud's victory in the 1977 elections was a major turning point in the country's political history, marking the first time the left had...
party of Menachem Begin
Menachem Begin
' was a politician, founder of Likud and the sixth Prime Minister of the State of Israel. Before independence, he was the leader of the Zionist militant group Irgun, the Revisionist breakaway from the larger Jewish paramilitary organization Haganah. He proclaimed a revolt, on 1 February 1944,...
. Land for the community totaled 500 acres (2 km²).
Following the forced evacuation and demolition of Dikla, a replacement community, Neve Dekalim was founded in 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...
. It eventually grew to become the largest Jewish settlement in Gaza, and the administrative center of 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...
bloc. Following the precedent set in Sinai, Neve Dekalim was demolished due to 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...
from Gaza in August 2005.