Kfar HaOranim
Kfar HaOranim (Hebrew: כְּפָר הָאֳרָנִים. lit. Village of the Pines), also known as Menora (Hebrew: מְנוֹרָה) or Giv'at Ehud, is an Israeli settlement in the West Bank. Contiguous with Lapid and located near to the major city of Modi'in, it is organised as a community settlement and falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Binyamin Regional Council. In 2019 it had a population of 2,657.
Kfar HaOranim
כְּפָר הָאֳרָנִים כפר האורנים | |
|---|---|
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  Kfar HaOranim | |
| Coordinates: 31°55′9.48″N 35°2′17.52″E | |
| District | Judea and Samaria Area |
| Council | Mateh Binyamin |
| Region | West Bank |
| Founded | 1997 |
| Founded by | Amana |
| Population (2019)[1] | 2,657 |
| Name meaning | Village of the Pines |
The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.[2]
History
Planning for the settlement (then with the name Giv'at Ehud, after Ehud Ben Amiti, a fighter pilot in Operation Opera) began in 1981. The cornerstone was laid in 1984 at a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, by which time the name had changed to Menora. However, legal issues over the ownership of the land led to a delay in construction. The first residents finally moved in during October 1997.
According to ARIJ, Israel confiscated 682 dunams of land from the Palestinian village of Saffa for the construction of Menora/Kfar HaOranim.[3]
References
- "Population in the Localities 2019" (XLS). Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
- "The Geneva Convention". BBC News. 10 December 2009. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
- Saffa village profile, ARIJ, p. 17