Palmachim
Encyclopedia
Palmachim is a kibbutz
in central Israel
. Located about ten kilometers south of the Tel Aviv area
along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea
, among the sand dunes, it falls under the jurisdiction of Gan Raveh Regional Council
. In 2004 it had a population of 500.
underground organization's Yiftah brigade, on land near the depopulated Palestinian Arab village of Nabi Rubin
.
In 2006 former residents of Elei Sinai
, an Israeli settlement
in the Gaza Strip
evicted during the disengagement plan
protested to the government
until they were allowed to move to the kibbutz.
process, and is home to high tech
companies. The ruins of ancient Yavne
's seaport, Yavneh-Yam
, are located nearby, and its archaeological findings are on display in the kibbutz's small museum.
Nearby Palmachim Air Force Base
houses rocket testing grounds and space launching facilities for the Israel Defense Forces
and the Israeli Space Agency
, and the Soreq Nuclear Research Center
, which houses a small (5 MW) nuclear research reactor
, take advantage of the area's relative isolation. There is also a desalinization plant nearby.
There are also plans to build a 350-apartment holiday resort on the Palmachim beach, though this has led to several protests.
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...
in central Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. Located about ten kilometers south of the Tel Aviv area
Gush Dan
The Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area , or Gush Dan , is a metropolitan area including areas from both the Tel Aviv and the Central Districts of Israel. The area is closely linked to the city of Tel Aviv through social, economic, and cultural ties. It is located along the Israeli Mediterranean coastline...
along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
, among the sand dunes, it falls under the jurisdiction of Gan Raveh Regional Council
Gan Raveh Regional Council
Gan Raveh Regional Council is a regional council in the Center District of Israel. The council's area of jurisdiction extends to eightsettlements: a kibbutz, six moshavim and a youth village. In 2006, the total population was 5,000...
. In 2004 it had a population of 500.
History
Palmachim was established on 11 April 1949 by former members of the PalmachPalmach
The Palmach was the elite fighting force of the Haganah, the underground army of the Yishuv during the period of the British Mandate of Palestine. The Palmach was established on May 15, 1941...
underground organization's Yiftah brigade, on land near the depopulated Palestinian Arab village of Nabi Rubin
Nabi Rubin
Al-Nabi Rubin was a Palestinian village in central Palestine, located west of Ramla, just northeast of Yibna and south of Jaffa. The village was situated on the southern banks of Wadi al-Sarar, also known as Sorek Stream, at an elevation of below sea level. Nabi Rubin is named after a shrine in...
.
In 2006 former residents of Elei Sinai
Elei Sinai
Elei Sinai was an Israeli settlement in the north of Gaza Strip. It was established in 1982 by a group who had been evicted from Yamit. It was named for the yearning to return to the Sinai desert, where Yamit was located....
, an 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 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...
evicted during the disengagement plan
Israel's unilateral disengagement plan
Israel's unilateral disengagement plan , also known as the "Disengagement plan", "Gaza expulsion plan", and "Hitnatkut", was a proposal by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, adopted by the government on June 6, 2004 and enacted in August 2005, to evict all Israelis from the Gaza Strip and from...
protested to the government
Cabinet of Israel
The Cabinet of Israel is a formal body composed of government officials called ministers, chosen and led by the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister must appoint members based on the distribution of votes to political parties during legislative elections, and its composition must be approved by a...
until they were allowed to move to the kibbutz.
Economy
The kibbutz produces agricultural goods and high tensile strength concrete products using the SpancreteSpancrete
Spancrete, located in Waukesha, Wisconsin, is a provider of architectural and structural precast concrete, and was an early pioneer of prestressed precast concrete...
process, and is home to high tech
High tech
High tech is technology that is at the cutting edge: the most advanced technology currently available. It is often used in reference to micro-electronics, rather than other technologies. The adjective form is hyphenated: high-tech or high-technology...
companies. The ruins of ancient Yavne
Yavne
Yavne is a city in the Central District of Israel. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics , at the end of 2009 the city had a population of 33,000.-History:...
's seaport, Yavneh-Yam
Yavneh-Yam
Yavne-Yam is an archaeological site located on Israel's southern Mediterranean coast, about 15 km south of Tel Aviv. Built on eolianite hills next to a small promontory forming the sole anchorage able to provide shelter to sea-going vessels between Jaffa and the Sinai, Yavne-Yam is notable...
, are located nearby, and its archaeological findings are on display in the kibbutz's small museum.
Nearby Palmachim Air Force Base
Palmachim Airbase
Palmachim Air Force Base is an Israeli military facility and spaceport located near the cities of Rishon LeZion and Yavne on the Mediterranean Sea. It is named after nearby Kibbutz Palmachim on the Mediterranean shore....
houses rocket testing grounds and space launching facilities for the Israel Defense Forces
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
and the Israeli Space Agency
Israeli Space Agency
Israel Space Agency is a governmental body that coordinates all Israeli space research programs with scientific and commercial goals. It was established in 1983 and is currently headed by Aluf professor Yitzhak Ben Yisrael...
, and the Soreq Nuclear Research Center
Soreq Nuclear Research Center
The Soreq Nuclear Research Center is a research and development institute located near the localities of Palmachim and Yavne in Israel. It operates under the auspices of the Israel Atomic Energy Commission...
, which houses a small (5 MW) nuclear research reactor
Nuclear reactor
A nuclear reactor is a device to initiate and control a sustained nuclear chain reaction. Most commonly they are used for generating electricity and for the propulsion of ships. Usually heat from nuclear fission is passed to a working fluid , which runs through turbines that power either ship's...
, take advantage of the area's relative isolation. There is also a desalinization plant nearby.
There are also plans to build a 350-apartment holiday resort on the Palmachim beach, though this has led to several protests.