Gush Etzion Junction
Encyclopedia
Gush Etzion Junction also known as Gush Junction is a 120 dunams (120,000 m²) business, commercial and tourism center in the southern West Bank
which serves as the entry point to the Gush Etzion
bloc of settlements. It is administered by the Gush Etzion Regional Council
. The hitchhiking post at the junction has frequently been the site of attacks by Palestinians against Israeli citizens.
at the intersection of Route 60 and Route 367. Nearby communities include Efrat
, Elazar
, Alon Shvut
, Kfar Etzion
, Migdal Oz
and Beit Fajjar
. It is a 15-minute drive to the southern Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo
and approximately 70 minutes' drive to Tel Aviv
.
On the southwest are a gas station, an automotive repair shop, an electronics store, a Judaica center and a Rami Levi
discount supermarket. Attached to the supermarket is a hamburger joint, a pizzeria
and a discount clothing store, all part of the Rami Levi group. Furthermore, Rami Levi has begun construction of a two-story shopping mall as an extension to the south side of the supermarket and above it.
A visitors' center is located 4 km. (2 1/2 miles) to the west in Kibbutz Kfar Etzion
as is the mehadrin dairy/fish restaurant, Gavna.
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...
which serves as the entry point to the Gush Etzion
Gush Etzion
Gush Etzion is a cluster of Israeli settlements located in the Judaean Mountains directly south of Jerusalem and Bethlehem in the West Bank, Palestinian territories. The core group includes four agricultural villages that were founded in 1940-1947 on property purchased in the 1920s and 1930s, and ...
bloc of settlements. It is administered by the Gush Etzion Regional Council
Gush Etzion Regional Council
The Gush Etzion Regional Council is a regional council in the northern Judean Hills, the northern part of the southern area of the West Bank, administering the settlements in the Gush Etzion region, as well as others nearby...
. The hitchhiking post at the junction has frequently been the site of attacks by Palestinians against Israeli citizens.
Geography
Gush Etzion Junction is located in the northern Judean Hills at about 950 m above sea level. The junction is a 25 m. (82 ft.) diameter roundabout (traffic circle)Roundabout
A roundabout is the name for a road junction in which traffic moves in one direction around a central island. The word dates from the early 20th century. Roundabouts are common in many countries around the world...
at the intersection of Route 60 and Route 367. Nearby communities include Efrat
Efrat
Efrat , or officially Efrata , is an Israeli settlement established in 1983 and a local council in the Judean Mountains of the West Bank. The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this...
, Elazar
Elazar, Gush Etzion
Elazar is an Israeli settlement in the Judean Hills region of the West Bank, 18 kilometers south of Jerusalem in the Gush Etzion cluster of settlements. A communal settlement, it has around 450 families living there...
, Alon Shvut
Alon Shvut
Alon Shvut is an Israeli settlement located southwest of Jerusalem, one kilometer northeast of Kfar Etzion, in the West Bank. Established in June 1970 in the heart of the Etzion bloc, Alon Shvut became the prototype for Jewish settlements in the region. It is administered by the Gush Etzion...
, Kfar Etzion
Kfar Etzion
Kfar Etzion is a religious Israeli settlement and kibbutz located in the Judean Hills between Jerusalem and Hebron in the southern West Bank. It has a population of 400 and falls under the jurisdiction of Gush Etzion Regional Council...
, Migdal Oz
Migdal Oz
Stella K. Abraham Beit Midrash for Women, commonly known as Migdal Oz , is an Orthodox Jewish institution of higher Torah study for women located in the Israeli settlement and Kibbutz Migdal Oz in Gush Etzion in the West Bank.-Overview:...
and Beit Fajjar
Beit Fajjar
Beit Fajjar is a Palestinian town located eight kilometers south of Bethlehem in the Bethlehem Governorate, in the central West Bank. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the town had a population of over 11,000 in 2007.-History:...
. It is a 15-minute drive to the southern Jerusalem neighborhood of 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...
and approximately 70 minutes' drive to Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
.
Establishments
Adjacent to the junction on the northwest are a plant nursery, a shop selling snacks, cigarettes and lottery tickets and The Gush Etzion Winery and its mehadrin dairy/fish restaurant, BaYekev.On the southwest are a gas station, an automotive repair shop, an electronics store, a Judaica center and a Rami Levi
Rami Levi Hashikma Marketing
Rami Levi Hashikma Marketing is the third largest Israeli retail supermarket chain, behind Shufersal Ltd. and Alon Holding–Blue Square Ltd., with annual revenues of NIS 1.81 billion . Founded in 1976 on Rehov Hashikma in the Mahane Yehuda Market district, Rami Levi was Israel's first...
discount supermarket. Attached to the supermarket is a hamburger joint, a pizzeria
Pizza
Pizza is an oven-baked, flat, disc-shaped bread typically topped with a tomato sauce, cheese and various toppings.Originating in Italy, from the Neapolitan cuisine, the dish has become popular in many parts of the world. An establishment that makes and sells pizzas is called a "pizzeria"...
and a discount clothing store, all part of the Rami Levi group. Furthermore, Rami Levi has begun construction of a two-story shopping mall as an extension to the south side of the supermarket and above it.
A visitors' center is located 4 km. (2 1/2 miles) to the west in Kibbutz Kfar Etzion
Kfar Etzion
Kfar Etzion is a religious Israeli settlement and kibbutz located in the Judean Hills between Jerusalem and Hebron in the southern West Bank. It has a population of 400 and falls under the jurisdiction of Gush Etzion Regional Council...
as is the mehadrin dairy/fish restaurant, Gavna.
Terrorist attacks
The hitchhiking post at the junction has frequently been the site of attacks by Palestinians against Israeli citizens. These include:- October 2005: Three killed, three injured in a shooting attack at the junction.
- January 2006: A Palestinian man stabs an Israeli man and girl; the attacker is shot and injured by an off-duty police officer.
- March 2006: A Palestinian man who arouses suspicion at the hitchhikers' post is found to be armed with a knife and arrested.
- December 2009: A woman is stabbed in the back by a Palestinian man.
- November 2010: A Palestinian man attempts to stab Israeli civilians at the junction and is arrested by the IDF.
- January 2011: Shots are fired in the area; there are no injuries.