Givat HaMatos is a caravan village in southern Jerusalem. It is populated by members of the Ethiopian Jewish

Beta Israel

Beta Israel Israel, Ge'ez: ቤተ እስራኤል - Bēta 'Isrā'ēl, modern Bēte 'Isrā'ēl, EAE: "Betä Ǝsraʾel", "Community of Israel" also known as Ethiopian Jews , are the names of Jewish communities which lived in the area of Aksumite and Ethiopian Empires , nowadays divided between Amhara and Tigray...

 community living in Israel

Israel

The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

. The village encompasses an area of approximately 170 dunams. It is bordered by Talpiot

Talpiot

Talpiot , is a neighborhood in southeast Jerusalem, Israel, established in 1922 by Zionist pioneers.-Etymology:The name Talpiot derives from a verse in Song of Songs 4:4 – "Thy neck is like the tower of David, built with turrets." According to rabbinic sources, Talpiot refers to the Temple...

 in the north, Hebron Road (part of Highway 60) in the east, Gilo

Gilo

Gilo is a neighborhood in southern East Jerusalem with a population of 40,000, mostly Jewish. It is one of the five ring neighborhoods of Jerusalem and is built on land in the West Bank that was annexed to Israel in 1980 under the Jerusalem Law. The international community regards it as an...

 in the south, and Beit Safafa

Beit Safafa

Beit Safafa is an Arab neighborhood in south Jerusalem midway between the Jerusalem neighborhoods of Patt and Gilo, on the outskirts of Bethlehem. Beit Safafa had a population of 5,463 in 2000. It covers an area of 1,577 dunams.-History:...

 in the west. The name, which literally means "hill of the airplane," memorializes an Israeli plane crash in the area in 1967.

The caravans were built on a hill in 1991 to house the large influx of Ethiopian Jews airlifted to Israel. The intention was to replace them with permanent dwellings. As of 2007, dozens of immigrant families were still living there in caravans. Various aid organizations are working there to alleviate the financial distress of families that have not been successfully absorbed in Israeli society.

1800 housing units have been built there for the Arab population in Jerusalem. The city plans to remove the remaining caravans and build 4,000 housing units in an area of 1,060 dunams. Of these, about 1,800 units will be given to Arabs as an expansion of Beit Safafa

Beit Safafa

Beit Safafa is an Arab neighborhood in south Jerusalem midway between the Jerusalem neighborhoods of Patt and Gilo, on the outskirts of Bethlehem. Beit Safafa had a population of 5,463 in 2000. It covers an area of 1,577 dunams.-History:...

toward the southeast.

In October 2011, Israel's decision to build a new settlement of 2600 homes was condemned by Britain, the EU and the UN.