Elon Moreh
Encyclopedia
Elon Moreh is an Israeli settlement
located in the Samarian hills of the West Bank
northeast of Nablus
on the slopes of the Mount Kabir ridge.
The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law
, but the Israeli government disputes this.
i under Yitzchak Rabin, then in his first term, prevented these attempts - arguing that the settlers' main aim was to secure permanent Israeli possession of the territory and that such possession would preclude any possibility of peace with Jordan or a Palestinian state. However, Shimon Peres
- then Defence Minister - was accused of clandestinely helping the settlers as part of his ongoing power struggle with Rabin.
In 1975, after a controversial attempt to settle the area of Sebastia, the group was finally allowed to stay in the area by taking up residence on an army base called Kadum eleven kilometres west of Shechem, the families living in an abandoned prison. In 1979, the government under Menachem Begin
allowed them to take up residence south of Nablus, but an injunction by the Israeli Supreme Court stopped the plan, ruling that that land belonged to local Arabs and that the army had power to confiscate land only for pure military purposes, and not for civilian settlement of Israelis.
At the time, several hundred Israeli activists of Peace Now besieged the settlement site for nearly twenty four hours, demanding the settlers' removal, and going away only when then Defence Minister Ezer Weizman
arrived by helicopter and assured them the settlers would be removed.
The site was dismantled and the group moved to the current location in 1980. The land on which it was erected were considered legally as "state lands" and therefore eligible for Israeli settlement. This legal interpretation was disputed, the Peace Now lawyers arguing that it constituted abuse of the Ottoman
land law, by which common village lands were deemed to be the Sultan
's property (whose ultimate heir was the Israeli military government); however, the law was not intended to give the Sultan the right to alienate the village lands and grant them to people outside the village, and was never so used during the centuries of Ottoman rule, or under the British and Jordanians who maintained the same law. However, in this case the Supreme Court accepted the state and the settlers' position, and the placing of the Alon Moreh settlers in the new location was upheld.
This legal method of proclaiming West Bank village lands to be "state lands" was subsequently used to create many other West Bank settlements. In this, too, Elon Moreh was a precedent-setting case - a positive one in the eyes of some Israelis, a negative one for others.
Later, all soldiers were evacuated from army base called Kadum, and the land handed over the settlers located there, becoming the large settlement of Kedumim
, and the Arab lands of the last attempt were purchased and the village of Itamar was founded at that location.
The present location of Elon Moreh was first settled on the Jewish holiday of Tu B'shvat, February 1980. It was the first settlement to be established in the northern West Bank after the Six-Day War
. Over 1200 residents now live in the village.
The village's primary school 'Nahalat Tzvi' is named after Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Kook
who had been the leader of Gush Emunim
. Elon Moreh also has a hesder
yeshiva, called Birkat Yosef, with a couple of hundred students. The rosh yeshiva
of the yeshiva is Rabbi Eliyakim Lavnon who is also the chief rabbi of Elon Moreh.
On April 6, 1988, Elon Moreh resident 15-year-old Tirza Porat
was shot dead in the neighbouring Palestinian village of Beita
by fellow resident Romam Aldubli.
On March 28, 2002, a Palestinian gunman infiltrated the village, burst into the home of the Gavish family and opened fire. The lone gunman managed to kill four residents before being killed himself. http://www.pmo.gov.il/PMOEng/Communication/IsraelUnderAttack/Elon+Moreh/Elon+Moreh.htm
The present day settlement of Elon Moreh receives municipal services from the Shomron Regional Council
and the closest neighboring settlements are Itamar
, Har Bracha and Yitzhar
.
relating to the first location where Abraham
settled after crossing the Jordan River,
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...
located in the Samarian hills of the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
northeast of Nablus
Nablus
Nablus is a Palestinian city in the northern West Bank, approximately north of Jerusalem, with a population of 126,132. Located in a strategic position between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, it is the capital of the Nablus Governorate and a Palestinian commercial and cultural center.Founded by the...
on the slopes of the Mount Kabir ridge.
The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank 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.
History
The history of the modern settlement named for Biblical Elon Moreh started in the mid-1970s when a group led by Rabbi Menachem Felix and Benny Katzover organized a pioneering group of dozens of families called Garin Elon Moreh in order to found a settlement in the Shechem area. Eight times, the group tried to choose a plot of land to settle but the IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i under Yitzchak Rabin, then in his first term, prevented these attempts - arguing that the settlers' main aim was to secure permanent Israeli possession of the territory and that such possession would preclude any possibility of peace with Jordan or a Palestinian state. However, Shimon Peres
Shimon Peres
GCMG is the ninth President of the State of Israel. Peres served twice as the eighth Prime Minister of Israel and once as Interim Prime Minister, and has been a member of 12 cabinets in a political career spanning over 66 years...
- then Defence Minister - was accused of clandestinely helping the settlers as part of his ongoing power struggle with Rabin.
In 1975, after a controversial attempt to settle the area of Sebastia, the group was finally allowed to stay in the area by taking up residence on an army base called Kadum eleven kilometres west of Shechem, the families living in an abandoned prison. In 1979, the government under 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,...
allowed them to take up residence south of Nablus, but an injunction by the Israeli Supreme Court stopped the plan, ruling that that land belonged to local Arabs and that the army had power to confiscate land only for pure military purposes, and not for civilian settlement of Israelis.
At the time, several hundred Israeli activists of Peace Now besieged the settlement site for nearly twenty four hours, demanding the settlers' removal, and going away only when then Defence Minister Ezer Weizman
Ezer Weizman
' was the seventh President of Israel, first elected in 1993 and re-elected in 1998. Before the presidency, Weizman was commander of the Israeli Air Force and Minister of Defense.-Biography:...
arrived by helicopter and assured them the settlers would be removed.
The site was dismantled and the group moved to the current location in 1980. The land on which it was erected were considered legally as "state lands" and therefore eligible for Israeli settlement. This legal interpretation was disputed, the Peace Now lawyers arguing that it constituted abuse of the Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
land law, by which common village lands were deemed to be the Sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
's property (whose ultimate heir was the Israeli military government); however, the law was not intended to give the Sultan the right to alienate the village lands and grant them to people outside the village, and was never so used during the centuries of Ottoman rule, or under the British and Jordanians who maintained the same law. However, in this case the Supreme Court accepted the state and the settlers' position, and the placing of the Alon Moreh settlers in the new location was upheld.
This legal method of proclaiming West Bank village lands to be "state lands" was subsequently used to create many other West Bank settlements. In this, too, Elon Moreh was a precedent-setting case - a positive one in the eyes of some Israelis, a negative one for others.
Later, all soldiers were evacuated from army base called Kadum, and the land handed over the settlers located there, becoming the large settlement of Kedumim
Kedumim
Kedumim , also spelled Qedumim, is an Israeli settlement and a town located in the Samarian hills of the West Bank that was founded during Hanukkah 1975 and now enjoys the municipal status of local council. Founded in 1975 by members of the Gush Emunim settlement movement, its current population is...
, and the Arab lands of the last attempt were purchased and the village of Itamar was founded at that location.
The present location of Elon Moreh was first settled on the Jewish holiday of Tu B'shvat, February 1980. It was the first settlement to be established in the northern West Bank after the 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...
. Over 1200 residents now live in the village.
The village's primary school 'Nahalat Tzvi' is named after Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Kook
Zvi Yehuda Kook
Zvi Yehuda Kook was a rabbi, leader of Religious Zionism and Rosh Yeshiva of the Mercaz HaRav yeshiva...
who had been the leader of Gush Emunim
Gush Emunim
Gush Emunim was an Israeli messianic and political movement committed to establishing Jewish settlements in the West Bank. While not formally established as an organization until 1974 in the wake of the Yom Kippur War, Gush Emunim sprang out of the conquests of the Six-Day War in 1967, encouraging...
. Elon Moreh also has a hesder
Hesder
Hesder is an Israeli yeshiva program which combines advanced Talmudic studies with military service in the Israel Defense Forces, usually within a Religious Zionist framework...
yeshiva, called Birkat Yosef, with a couple of hundred students. The rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva, , , is the title given to the dean of a Talmudical academy . It is made up of the Hebrew words rosh — meaning head, and yeshiva — a school of religious Jewish education...
of the yeshiva is Rabbi Eliyakim Lavnon who is also the chief rabbi of Elon Moreh.
On April 6, 1988, Elon Moreh resident 15-year-old Tirza Porat
Tirza Porat
The Beita incident was a confrontation that took place between Israeli settlers from Elon Moreh and Palestinian residents of Beita, on April 6, 1988...
was shot dead in the neighbouring Palestinian village of Beita
Beita
Beita is a Palestinian town in the Nablus Governorate in the northern West Bank located southeast of Nablus. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the town had a population of 9,709 in 2007. It consists of five clans which branch out to thirty families. There are many houses...
by fellow resident Romam Aldubli.
On March 28, 2002, a Palestinian gunman infiltrated the village, burst into the home of the Gavish family and opened fire. The lone gunman managed to kill four residents before being killed himself. http://www.pmo.gov.il/PMOEng/Communication/IsraelUnderAttack/Elon+Moreh/Elon+Moreh.htm
The present day settlement of Elon Moreh receives municipal services from the Shomron Regional Council
Shomron Regional Council
The Shomron Regional Council is a regional council in the northern Samarian hills, in the northern part of the West Bank. The offices of the regional council are located in the Barkan Industrial Park. This regional council provides various municipal services for the 30 Israeli settlements within...
and the closest neighboring settlements are Itamar
Itamar (town)
Itamar is an Israeli settlement located in the West Bank's Samarian mountains five kilometers southeast of Nablus. The predominantly Orthodox Jewish community with a population of 1,032 is within the municipal jurisdiction of the Shomron Regional Council...
, Har Bracha and Yitzhar
Yitzhar
Yitzhar is an Israeli settlement located in the West Bank south of the city of Nablus just off Route 60, north of the Tapuach Junction. The predominantly Orthodox Jewish community with a population of 895 is within the municipal jurisdiction of the Shomron Regional Council...
.
Name
In the Bible, Elon Moreh is where God told Abraham, “To your descendants will I give this land” (Genesis 12:6) Jacob, the son of Isaac and grandson of Abraham purchased land near Elon Moreh and Shechem (Genesis 33:19). The name of the village comes from a passage in the TorahTorah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
relating to the first location where Abraham
Abraham
Abraham , whose birth name was Abram, is the eponym of the Abrahamic religions, among which are Judaism, Christianity and Islam...
settled after crossing the Jordan River,