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 2022 it had a population of 2,604.

Kfar HaOranim
כְּפָר הָאֳרָנִים
כפר האורנים
Etymology: Village of the Pines
Kfar HaOranim is located in the Central West Bank
Kfar HaOranim
Kfar HaOranim
Kfar HaOranim is located in the West Bank
Kfar HaOranim
Kfar HaOranim
Coordinates: 31°55′9″N 35°2′18″E / 31.91917°N 35.03833°E / 31.91917; 35.03833
DistrictJudea and Samaria Area
CouncilMateh Binyamin
RegionWest Bank
Founded1997
Founded byAmana
Population
 (2022)[1]
2,604

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 named Giv'at Ehud, after Ehud Ben-Amitai, a fighter pilot killed in a training accident) 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.[citation needed]

According to ARIJ, Israel confiscated 682 dunams of land from the Palestinian village of Saffa for the construction of Menora/Kfar HaOranim.[3]

References

  1. ^ "Regional Statistics". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  2. ^ "The Geneva Convention". BBC News. 10 December 2009. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
  3. ^ Saffa village profile, ARIJ, p. 17