Yitav
Encyclopedia
Yitav is an Israeli settlement
and moshav shitufi
in the southern Jordan Valley
of the West Bank
. Located just north of Jericho
and west of the Palestinian village of al-Auja
, it falls under the jurisdiction of Bik'at HaYarden Regional Council. The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law
, but the Israeli government disputes this.
Established as a Nahal settlement
in 1970, it was recognised by the state in 1977, and began operating as a kibbutz
. It was named a memorial to Yitzhak Tabenkin
, one of the leaders of the Israeli kibbutz movement, it subsequently reorganized into a moshav shitufi (though remaining within the Kibbutz Movement
), whose members today are immigrants from the former Soviet Union
(34 families). In 2006 it had a population of 175. Subtropical agriculture is the main economic activity in Yitav (dates, bananas, vegetables), although some members have outside jobs in the surrounding area or in Jerusalem.
Yitav Nature Reserve located 4 km south of Yitav covers the canyon of Nahal Yitav (Wadi al-Auja
) with its springs.
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 moshav shitufi
Moshav shitufi
A Moshav shitufi is a type of cooperative village in Israel whose organizational principles place it between the kibbutz and the moshav on the scale of cooperation...
in the southern 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...
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...
. Located just north of 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...
and west of the Palestinian village of al-Auja
Al-Auja, Jericho
al-Auja is a Palestinian town in the Jericho Governorate in the eastern West Bank, located ten kilometers north of Jericho. The town has a total area of 107,905 dunams, however its built-up area comprises only 832 dunams. After Israel's occupation of the West Bank in the 1967 Six-Day War, 30,147...
, it falls under the jurisdiction of Bik'at HaYarden Regional Council. 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.
Established 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...
in 1970, it was recognised by the state in 1977, and began operating as a kibbutz
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...
. It was named a memorial to Yitzhak Tabenkin
Yitzhak Tabenkin
-External links:...
, one of the leaders of the Israeli kibbutz movement, it subsequently reorganized into a moshav shitufi (though remaining within the Kibbutz Movement
Kibbutz Movement
The Kibbutz Movement is the largest settlement movement for kibbutzim in Israel. It was formed in 1999 by a partial merger of the United Kibbutz Movement and Kibbutz Artzi.-United Kibbutz Movement:...
), whose members today are immigrants from the former Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
(34 families). In 2006 it had a population of 175. Subtropical agriculture is the main economic activity in Yitav (dates, bananas, vegetables), although some members have outside jobs in the surrounding area or in Jerusalem.
Yitav Nature Reserve located 4 km south of Yitav covers the canyon of Nahal Yitav (Wadi al-Auja
Al-Auja, Jericho
al-Auja is a Palestinian town in the Jericho Governorate in the eastern West Bank, located ten kilometers north of Jericho. The town has a total area of 107,905 dunams, however its built-up area comprises only 832 dunams. After Israel's occupation of the West Bank in the 1967 Six-Day War, 30,147...
) with its springs.
External links
- Yitav on Bik'at HaYarden Regional Council site .