Shvut Rachel
Encyclopedia
Shvut Rachel is an Israeli settlement
and a city in the West Bank
, located 30 miles (45 km) north of Jerusalem. Shvut Rachel is located in the Shiloh area in Binyamin. Nearby Israeli settlements include Shilo
, Giv'at Har'el
, Esh Kodesh
, Keeda
, and Adei Ad
. The village, administrated by the Matte Binyamin Regional Council
, has a population of 100 families. The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law
, but the Israeli government disputes this.
. On the night of the funerals, a group of students from the yeshiva in Shilo as well as two young couples, including a pregnant woman who gave birth a week later, established Shvut Rachel.
Like all Israeli settlements in the Israeli-occupied territories
, Shvut Rachel is considered illegal under international law, though Israeli disputes this. The international community considers Israeli settlements to violate the Fourth Geneva Convention
's prohibition on the transfer of an occupying power's civilian population into occupied territory. Israel disputes that the Fourth Geneva Convention applies to the Palestinian territories as they had not been legally held by a sovereign prior to Israel taking control of them. This view has been rejected by the International Court of Justice
and the International Committee of the Red Cross
.
located in Shvut Rachel. Headed by Rabbi
Ronen Tamir, it was founded in 2000 as an additional branch of the nearby yeshiva in Shilo. It includes a regular seminary program, a one month program in September for college students, and a joint program with Beit Vegan Teachers College. It is associated with the Talpiot College of Education
.
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 a city 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 30 miles (45 km) north of Jerusalem. Shvut Rachel is located in the Shiloh area in Binyamin. Nearby Israeli settlements include Shilo
Shilo (town)
Shilo is an Israeli settlement in the northern West Bank, located 28 miles north of Jerusalem on Route 60, next to the Palestinian town Turmus Ayya...
, Giv'at Har'el
Giv'at Har'el
Givat Harel is an Israeli settlement established in 1998 in the jurisdiction of the Mateh Binyamin Regional Council in the northern West Bank north of Nahal Shilo...
, Esh Kodesh
Esh Kodesh
Esh Kodesh is an Israeli settlement outpost in the West Bank. Located near Shvut Rachel, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Binyamin Regional Council...
, Keeda
Keeda
Keida is an Israeli settlement in the West Bank named after a genus of flower that grows in the region. It is situated just off the Allon Road, a five minute drive east of Shilo. Other Israeli villages in the area include Shvut Rachel, Giv'at Har'el, Esh Kodesh, and Adei Ad...
, and Adei Ad
Adei Ad
Adei Ad is an Israeli settlement outpost in the West Bank. Located near Shvut Rachel, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Binyamin Regional Council.The outpost was established in 1998 by a group of students at the Sdor Amir yeshiva in Shvut Rachel....
. The village, administrated by the Matte Binyamin Regional Council
Matte Binyamin Regional Council
Mateh Binyamin Regional Council is a regional council covering 42 Israeli settlements in the southern Samarian hills of the West Bank. The seat of the council is Psagot. The council is named for the ancient Israelite tribe of Benjamin, whose territory roughly corresponds to that of the council.In...
, has a population of 100 families. 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.
History
The village was founded in November 1991 in memory of the victims of a terrorist attack on a civilian bus - Rachela Druk of Shilo, a mother of 7, and Yitzhak Rofe, the bus driver - who were on their way to a demonstration in Tel AvivTel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
. On the night of the funerals, a group of students from the yeshiva in Shilo as well as two young couples, including a pregnant woman who gave birth a week later, established Shvut Rachel.
Legal status
Like all Israeli settlements in the Israeli-occupied territories
Israeli-occupied territories
The Israeli-occupied territories are the territories which have been designated as occupied territory by the United Nations and other international organizations, governments and others to refer to the territory seized by Israel during the Six-Day War of 1967 from Egypt, Jordan, and Syria...
, Shvut Rachel is considered illegal under international law, though Israeli disputes this. The international community considers Israeli settlements to violate the Fourth Geneva Convention
Fourth Geneva Convention
The Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, commonly referred to as the Fourth Geneva Convention and abbreviated as GCIV, is one of the four treaties of the Geneva Conventions. It was adopted in August 1949, and defines humanitarian protections for civilians...
's prohibition on the transfer of an occupying power's civilian population into occupied territory. Israel disputes that the Fourth Geneva Convention applies to the Palestinian territories as they had not been legally held by a sovereign prior to Israel taking control of them. This view has been rejected by the International Court of Justice
International Court of Justice
The International Court of Justice is the primary judicial organ of the United Nations. It is based in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands...
and the International Committee of the Red Cross
International Committee of the Red Cross
The International Committee of the Red Cross is a private humanitarian institution based in Geneva, Switzerland. States parties to the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols of 1977 and 2005, have given the ICRC a mandate to protect the victims of international and...
.
Midreshet Binat
Binat is a midrashaMidrasha
A refers to an institute of Jewish studies for women. In Israel, it is often an Orthodox institution that caters solely to women, and roughly the equivalent of a yeshiva for men. The term is often translated as 'seminary'. In the United States, the term has also been used to refer to...
located in Shvut Rachel. Headed by Rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
Ronen Tamir, it was founded in 2000 as an additional branch of the nearby yeshiva in Shilo. It includes a regular seminary program, a one month program in September for college students, and a joint program with Beit Vegan Teachers College. It is associated with the Talpiot College of Education
Talpiot College of Education
The Talpiot College of Education is a religious teacher training college in Tel Aviv, Israel. It prepares teachers “in the spirit of the Mamlachti dati education system”. It was founded in 1937 by Rabbi Dr...
.