Oranit
Encyclopedia
Oranit is an Israeli settlement
and local council
located off Highway 5
adjacent to Kafr Qasim
, north of Rosh HaAyin
on the western edge of the West Bank
. On the Seam Zone
, a sizable amount of the town's land is located within the Green Line
. The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law
, but the Israeli government disputes this.
As of 2007, Oranit has a population of over 6000 people, consisting of approximately 1400 families.
Oranit is ranked moderately high on the Israeli socio-economic scales, at 7/10.
The town, built by a private initiative called the 'Delta Company', was first settled in 1985. In 1990, it achieved Local Council status. The name Oranit comes from the pine trees of the Horashim Forest lining the western side of the town.
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...
and local council
Local council (Israel)
Local councils are one of the three types of local government found in Israel, with the other two being cities and regional councils. As of 2003, there were 144 local councils in Israel, these being settlements which pass a minimum threshold enough to justify their operations as independent...
located off Highway 5
Highway 5 (Israel)
Highway 5, or the Trans-Samaria Highway , is one of Israel's main highways, connecting the Mediterranean coast immediately north of Tel Aviv with the central Sharon plain and eastwards to Ariel and other Israeli settlements in the northern West Bank, known under the biblical name Samaria.The name...
adjacent to Kafr Qasim
Kafr Qasim
Kafr Qasim , is a hill-top Israeli Arab city located about twenty kilometers east of Tel Aviv, near the Green Line separating Israel and the West Bank, on the southern portion of the "Little Triangle" of Arab-Israeli towns and villages. The town became notorious for the Kafr Qasim massacre, in...
, north of Rosh HaAyin
Rosh HaAyin
Rosh HaAyin is a city in the Center District of Israel. To the west of Rosh HaAyin is the fortress of Antipatris and the source of the Yarkon River. To the southeast is the fortress of Migdal Afek...
on the western edge 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...
. On the Seam Zone
Seam Zone
Seam Zone is a term used to refer to a land area in the West Bank located east of the Green Line and west of Israel's separation barrier, populated largely by Israelis in settlements such as Alfei Menashe, Ariel, Beit Arye, Modi'in Illit, Giv'at Ze'ev, Ma'ale Adumim, Beitar Illit and Efrat.As of...
, a sizable amount of the town's land is located within the Green Line
Green Line (Israel)
Green Line refers to the demarcation lines set out in the 1949 Armistice Agreements between Israel and its neighbours after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War...
. 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.
As of 2007, Oranit has a population of over 6000 people, consisting of approximately 1400 families.
Oranit is ranked moderately high on the Israeli socio-economic scales, at 7/10.
The town, built by a private initiative called the 'Delta Company', was first settled in 1985. In 1990, it achieved Local Council status. The name Oranit comes from the pine trees of the Horashim Forest lining the western side of the town.