Rafiah Yam
Encyclopedia
Rafiah Yam was an Israeli settlement
, originally established in 1984 as a secular community in the southern end of the Gush Katif
settlement bloc, only 200 metres from the Egyptian border and close to the Palestinian
city of Rafah
.
Residents of the settlement worked mainly in agriculture. Being one of the few non-Orthodox
settlements, the community children were bused each day to school in the nearby Eshkol region outside the Gaza Strip
.
The 30 families, including at least 150 people, of Rafiah Yam were forcibly evicted from their homes by the IDF
and Israeli Police as part of the Israel's unilateral disengagement plan
of August 2005. Their houses and other structures were destroyed and the area was later transferred to the Palestinians.
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...
, originally established in 1984 as a secular community in the southern end of 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...
settlement bloc, only 200 metres from the Egyptian border and close to the Palestinian
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...
city of Rafah
Rafah
Rafah , also known as Rafiah, is a Palestinian city in the southern Gaza Strip. Located south of Gaza, Rafah's population of 71,003 is overwhelmingly made up of Palestinian refugees. Rafah camp and Tall as-Sultan form separate localities. Rafah is the district capital of the Rafah Governorate...
.
Residents of the settlement worked mainly in agriculture. Being one of the few non-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...
settlements, the community children were bused each day to school in the nearby Eshkol region outside 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...
.
The 30 families, including at least 150 people, of Rafiah Yam were forcibly evicted from their homes by the IDF
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 Israeli Police as part of the Israel's unilateral 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...
of August 2005. Their houses and other structures were destroyed and the area was later transferred to the Palestinians.