Katif (moshav)
Encyclopedia
Katif was an Israeli settlement
in the Gush Katif
bloc in the Gaza Strip
, about 1 km north of the Palestinian refugee camp of Deir el-Balah
. It was founded in 1977 as an Orthodox
moshav
. The name is derived from the nearby Tel Katifa
archeological site.
Katif was founded as a paramilitary Nahal
settlement in 1973, and handed over to civilians in 1977. Some 70 families, or 330 people, including 220 children, lived in the moshav. A religious elementary school and a high school located there served many of the other settlements in the region. The economy was based on a plastics factory, a fabric
factory, and agriculture, including a nursery and a dairy farm.
Like all the Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip, Katif was evacuated as part of the unilateral disengagement plan, decided on by the Israel
i government in 2004.
After their eviction, most of the families (forty-five) chose to move to a temporary refugee camp adjacent to Amatzia
, a previously non-religious moshav of thirty-five families, and start planning their permanent settlement in the area.
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 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 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...
, about 1 km north of the Palestinian refugee camp of Deir el-Balah
Deir el-Balah
Deir el-Balah or Dayr al-Balah is located in the central Gaza Strip and is the capital or muhfaza of the Deir el-Balah Governorate...
. It was founded in 1977 as an 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...
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...
. The name is derived from the nearby Tel Katifa
Tel Katifa
Tel Katifa , was a small Israeli settlement located in the northeast end of the Gush Katif settlement bloc of the Gaza Strip, and evacuated in Israel's disengagement of 2005. The settlement was named after the adjacent archeological site from the Canaanite period. The Palestinian village of Deir...
archeological site.
Katif was founded as a paramilitary 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...
settlement in 1973, and handed over to civilians in 1977. Some 70 families, or 330 people, including 220 children, lived in the moshav. A religious elementary school and a high school located there served many of the other settlements in the region. The economy was based on a plastics factory, a fabric
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
factory, and agriculture, including a nursery and a dairy farm.
Like all the Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip, Katif was evacuated as part of the unilateral disengagement plan, decided on by the Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i government in 2004.
After their eviction, most of the families (forty-five) chose to move to a temporary refugee camp adjacent to Amatzia
Amatzia, Israel
-Bibliography:*Khalidi, Walid . "ALL THAT REMAINS: The Palestinian Villages Occupied and Depopulated by Israel in 1948", The Institute of Palestine Studies, Washington, D.C. ISBN 0-88728-224-5-External links:* in Lakhish Regional Council web site .* ....
, a previously non-religious moshav of thirty-five families, and start planning their permanent settlement in the area.