Niran
Encyclopedia
Niran is a kibbutz
and Israeli settlement
in the West Bank
. Located in the Jordan Valley
near Jericho
, it falls under the jurisdiction of Bik'at HaYarden Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 80, 30 of whom were new arrivals.
Niran was established in 1971 as a Nahal settlement
and was converted to a civilian kibbutz in 1977. It is named after the biblical
city of Naaran
.
The primary source of livelihood for the residents is education, including workshops for visitors devoted to Zionism, Judaism and Israeli society. A smaller number of residents work in date groves and at the local plastics factory, P.V.Ran, which manufactures a variety of packagings and wrappings for food products in compliance with international standards.
The ruins of a 6th-century synagogue were discovered a short distance from the kibbutz. The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law
, but the Israeli government disputes this.
Kibbutz
A kibbutz is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism...
and Israeli settlement
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 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...
. Located in the Jordan Valley
Jordan Valley (Middle East)
The Jordan Valley forms part of the larger Jordan Rift Valley. It is 120 kilometers long and 15 kilometers wide, where it runs from Lake Tiberias in the north to northern Dead Sea in the south. It runs for an additional 155 kilometer south of the Dead Sea to Aqaba, an area also known as Wadi...
near Jericho
Jericho
Jericho ; is a city located near the Jordan River in the West Bank of the Palestinian territories. It is the capital of the Jericho Governorate and has a population of more than 20,000. Situated well below sea level on an east-west route north of the Dead Sea, Jericho is the lowest permanently...
, it falls under the jurisdiction of Bik'at HaYarden Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 80, 30 of whom were new arrivals.
Niran was established in 1971 as a Nahal settlement
Nahal settlement
Nahal settlements were settlements established by Nahal soldiers in Israel and Israeli-occupied territories. Supporting Jewish settlement growth and expansion throughout Israel was once the main focus of the Nahal military brigade. The goal for every Nahal settlement was to become a civilian...
and was converted to a civilian kibbutz in 1977. It is named after the biblical
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
city of Naaran
Naaran
Naaran or Na'aran was a Jewish settlement and synagogue during the 5th and 6th century AD and was located north of Jericho, in Ephraim, between Bethel and Jericho. The synagogue floor has a mosaic floor with several designs. In the middle of the floor there is a large wheel of the zodiac. The...
.
The primary source of livelihood for the residents is education, including workshops for visitors devoted to Zionism, Judaism and Israeli society. A smaller number of residents work in date groves and at the local plastics factory, P.V.Ran, which manufactures a variety of packagings and wrappings for food products in compliance with international standards.
The ruins of a 6th-century synagogue were discovered a short distance from the kibbutz. 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.