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]'' to the ] ] in Beitar Illit.]] ]'' to the ] ] in Beitar Illit.]]
'''Beitar Illit''' ({{lang-he|בֵּיתָר עִלִּית}}; officially '''Betar Illit'''; "Illit" is pronounced "ee-leet"; {{lang-ar|بيتار عيليت}}) is an ]-] organized as a ] in the ] ],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/why-israel-invented-concept-settlement-blocs|title=Why Israel invented the concept of 'settlement blocs'|date=26 January 2016 |website=Middle East Eye |access-date= 10 July 2019}}</ref> {{convert|10|km|mi}} south of ],<ref name="govisitisrael1">{{cite web|url=http://www.govisitisrael.com/beitar-illit/142/ |title=City: Beitar Illit |publisher=Govisitisrael.com |access-date=2011-07-19| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110711121156/http://www.govisitisrael.com/beitar-illit/142/| archive-date= 11 July 2011 | url-status= live}}</ref> in the ] of the ].<ref name=ep-fe>{{cite web|title=Environmental Peacebuilding Theory and Practice A Case Study of the Good Water Neighbours Project and In Depth Analysis of the Wadi Fukin / Tzur Hadassah Communities|url=http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/documents/ECOPEACE_PeaceBuildingMiddleEast_GoodWaterNeighboursProject.pdf|publisher=EcoPeace/Friends of the Earth|pages=29–35|access-date=19 July 2011|date=January 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724124700/http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/documents/ECOPEACE_PeaceBuildingMiddleEast_GoodWaterNeighboursProject.pdf|archive-date=24 July 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> Beitar Illit is one of ]'s largest and most rapidly growing settlements,<ref>{{cite news|title=Israeli settlement building surges as US pushes for a new freeze|publisher=Christian Science Monitor|date=October 15, 2010|author=Joshua Mitnick|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_action=doc&p_topdoc=1&p_docnum=1&p_sort=YMD_date:D&p_product=AWNB&p_text_direct-0=document_id=%28%20132E24C130671148%20%29&p_docid=132E24C130671148&p_theme=aggdocs&p_queryname=132E24C130671148&f_openurl=yes&p_nbid=J63I56KNMTM0NTU2NzI4My41ODY4MTI6MToxMzoxOTIuMTYwLjIxNi4w&&p_multi=CSMB|access-date=August 21, 2012}}</ref> and in {{Israel populations|Year}} had a population of {{Israel populations|Betar Illit}}. '''Beitar Illit''' ({{langx|he|בֵּיתָר עִלִּית}}; officially '''Betar Illit'''; {{langx|ar|بيتار عيليت}}) is a ]-] organized as a ] in the ] ],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/why-israel-invented-concept-settlement-blocs|title=Why Israel invented the concept of 'settlement blocs'|date=26 January 2016 |website=Middle East Eye |access-date= 10 July 2019}}</ref> {{convert|10|km|mi|0|spell=in}} southwest of ] in the ].<ref name="govisitisrael1">{{cite web|url=http://www.govisitisrael.com/beitar-illit/142/ |title=City: Beitar Illit |publisher=Govisitisrael.com |access-date=2011-07-19| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110711121156/http://www.govisitisrael.com/beitar-illit/142/| archive-date= 11 July 2011 | url-status= live}}</ref> Beitar Illit is one of ]'s largest and most rapidly growing settlements,<ref>{{cite news|title=Israeli settlement building surges as US pushes for a new freeze|publisher=Christian Science Monitor|date=October 15, 2010|author=Joshua Mitnick|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_action=doc&p_topdoc=1&p_docnum=1&p_sort=YMD_date:D&p_product=AWNB&p_text_direct-0=document_id=%28%20132E24C130671148%20%29&p_docid=132E24C130671148&p_theme=aggdocs&p_queryname=132E24C130671148&f_openurl=yes&p_nbid=J63I56KNMTM0NTU2NzI4My41ODY4MTI6MToxMzoxOTIuMTYwLjIxNi4w&&p_multi=CSMB|access-date=August 21, 2012}}</ref> and in {{Israel populations|Year}} had a population of {{Israel populations|Betar Illit}}.


The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank ],<ref name=BBC>{{cite news|title=Israeli settlements: UN Security Council calls for an end|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-38421026|access-date=23 December 2016|work=BBC News|date=23 December 2016}}</ref> but the ]<ref name="news.bbc.co.uk">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8556786.stm|title=US denies Israel settlement move violates moratorium |publisher=BBC|date=March 8, 2010|access-date=August 21, 2012}}</ref><ref name="BBC_GC4">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1682640.stm |title=The Geneva Convention |work=BBC News |date=10 December 2009 |access-date=27 November 2010 }}</ref><ref name="Agence France-Presse">{{cite news|title=EU chides Israel over new West Bank settlement homes|publisher=Agence France-Presse|date=July 19, 2011|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_action=doc&p_topdoc=1&p_docnum=1&p_sort=YMD_date:D&p_product=AWNB&p_text_direct-0=document_id=%28%201389A6ACF622DF18%20%29&p_docid=1389A6ACF622DF18&p_theme=aggdocs&p_queryname=1389A6ACF622DF18&f_openurl=yes&p_nbid=J61N54CLMTM0NTU3Mzg4OC4yMjYzNzY6MToxMzoxOTIuMTYwLjIxNi4w&&p_multi=WAFP|access-date=August 21, 2012}}</ref><ref name="docs.newsbank.com">{{cite news|title=Israel to build 336 new West Bank settlement homes|publisher=Agence France-Presse|date=July 18, 2011|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:AWNB:WAFP&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=13895242FAD48818&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0D663DC0A81A15EA}}</ref> and ] dispute this.{{Original research inline|date=April 2020}} Israeli settlements in the West Bank are ].<ref name=BBC>{{cite news|title=Israeli settlements: UN Security Council calls for an end|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-38421026|access-date=23 December 2016|work=BBC News|date=23 December 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1682640.stm |title=The Geneva Convention |publisher=] |date=10 December 2009 |accessdate=27 November 2010 }}</ref>


==Name== ==Name==
Beitar Illit (lit. Upper Beitar) is named after the ancient Jewish fortress city of ], whose ruins lie {{convert|1|km|mi}} away. There also exists a ] village with the name ], adjacent to the ruins of the ancient city of Betar. Beitar Illit (lit. Upper Beitar) is named after the ancient Jewish fortress city of ], whose ruins (known as ''Khirbet el-Yahud,'' ] for "Ruin of the Jews") lie {{convert|1|km|mi|frac=2|spell=in}} away, near the ] village of ], which preserves the ancient name.


== History == == History ==
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== Geography == == Geography ==
Beitar Illit lies in the northern Judean Hills<ref name="govisitisrael1"/> at about 700 m ]. It is located just west of the intersection of ], the north–south artery which roughly follows the ] from ] through Jerusalem to ], and Route 375, which descends west into the ] to the ] and ]. It takes about 10 minutes to get to ]; ] is around 60 minutes away. Beitar Illit is connected to West Jerusalem by the ], which passes directly underneath the Arab town of ] and allows access to Jerusalem without coming within view of Arabs.<ref>{{cite journal|jstor=25164857|journal=Middle East Report|title=Dromocratic Palestine|author=John Collins|pages=8–13|number=248|date=Fall 2008}}</ref> Beitar Illit lies in the northern Judean Hills<ref name="govisitisrael1"/> at about 700&nbsp;m ]. It is located just west of the intersection of ], the north–south artery which roughly follows the ] from ] through Jerusalem to ], and Route 375, which descends west into the ] to the ] and ]. It takes about 10 minutes to get to ]; ] is around 60 minutes away. Beitar Illit is connected to West Jerusalem by the ], which passes directly underneath the Arab town of ] and allows access to Jerusalem without coming within view of Arabs.<ref>{{cite journal|jstor=25164857|journal=Middle East Report|title=Dromocratic Palestine|author=John Collins|pages=8–13|number=248|date=Fall 2008}}</ref>


==Demographics== ==Demographics==
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|2013|44900 |2013|44900
|2018|56750 |2018|56750
|2019|59270
|source = }} |source = }}
At the end of 2003, the population was 23,000 and in 2006 it was 29,100. According to statistics from the Ministry of the Interior, the population in January 2007 was 35,000, an increase of 20% over one year.<ref name=economy/> A Ministry of Interior report from July 2013 placed the population at 45,710.<ref name=misrad>{{cite web|url=http://www.moin.gov.il/Subjects/Bchirot/Documents/election-yosh.pdf|script-title=he:הודעה בדבר קביעת מספר חברי המועצה במועצות מקומיות|language=he|trans-title=Notice Regarding the Assignment of Council Members in Regional Councils|publisher=]|date=18 July 2013|access-date=14 December 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029060614/http://moin.gov.il/Subjects/Bchirot/Documents/election-yosh.pdf|archive-date=29 October 2013}}</ref> At the end of 2003, the population was 23,000 and in 2006 it was 29,100. According to statistics from the Ministry of the Interior, the population in January 2007 was 35,000, an increase of 20% over one year.<ref name=economy/> A Ministry of Interior report from July 2013 placed the population at 45,710.<ref name=misrad>{{cite web|url=http://www.moin.gov.il/Subjects/Bchirot/Documents/election-yosh.pdf|script-title=he:הודעה בדבר קביעת מספר חברי המועצה במועצות מקומיות|language=he|trans-title=Notice Regarding the Assignment of Council Members in Regional Councils|publisher=]|date=18 July 2013|access-date=14 December 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029060614/http://moin.gov.il/Subjects/Bchirot/Documents/election-yosh.pdf|archive-date=29 October 2013}}</ref>


With an annual ] of 1,800 births, Beitar Illit has the fastest ] among the West Bank settlements.<ref name=tzoren/> Approximately 63 percent of the population is under the age of 18, which is the highest percentage of children in any Israeli settlement or city.<ref name=tzoren/> According to local authorities the population may reach 100,000 by 2020,<ref>{{cite news|last=Shragai |first=Nadav |url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/893357.html |title=Ultra-Orthodox Jews deliver a population boom to the West Bank|publisher=Haaretz|date=August 14, 2007|access-date=August 22, 2012}}</ref> based on population growth and the building of new apartments to attract more Haredim from ] and ]. With an annual ] of 1,800 births, Beitar Illit has the fastest ] among the West Bank settlements.<ref name=tzoren/> Approximately 63 percent of the population is under the age of 18, which is the highest percentage of children in any Israeli settlement or city.<ref name=tzoren/>


===Character=== ===Character===
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== Status under international law == == Status under international law ==
{{Main|International law and Israeli settlements}} {{Main|International law and Israeli settlements}}
Like all settlements in the ], Beitar Illit is considered illegal under international law,<ref name="Agence France-Presse"/><ref name="docs.newsbank.com"/> though Israel disputes this while the ] in November 2019 shifted its position<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-50468025|title=Jewish settlements no longer illegal - US|date=2019-11-18|access-date=2019-11-18|language=en-GB}}</ref> declaring "the establishment of Israeli civilian settlements in the West Bank is not ''per se'' inconsistent with international law."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/secretary-of-state-mike-pompeo-to-deliver-statement/|title=Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announces reversal of Obama-era stance on Israeli settlements|website=www.cbsnews.com|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-18}}</ref> The international community considers Israeli settlements to violate the ]'s prohibition on the transfer of an occupying power's civilian population into occupied territory. The Israeli government 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.<ref name="BBC_GC4"/> This view has been rejected by the ] and the ].<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100706021237/http://www.icj-cij.org/docket/files/131/1671.pdf |date=2010-07-06 }} International Court of Justice, 9 July 2004. pp. 44-45</ref> Like all settlements in the ], Beitar Illit is considered illegal under international law,<ref name="Agence France-Presse">{{cite news|title=EU chides Israel over new West Bank settlement homes|publisher=Agence France-Presse|date=July 19, 2011|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_action=doc&p_topdoc=1&p_docnum=1&p_sort=YMD_date:D&p_product=AWNB&p_text_direct-0=document_id=%28%201389A6ACF622DF18%20%29&p_docid=1389A6ACF622DF18&p_theme=aggdocs&p_queryname=1389A6ACF622DF18&f_openurl=yes&p_nbid=J61N54CLMTM0NTU3Mzg4OC4yMjYzNzY6MToxMzoxOTIuMTYwLjIxNi4w&&p_multi=WAFP|access-date=August 21, 2012}}</ref><ref name="docs.newsbank.com">{{cite news|title=Israel to build 336 new West Bank settlement homes|publisher=Agence France-Presse|date=July 18, 2011|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:AWNB:WAFP&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=13895242FAD48818&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0D663DC0A81A15EA}}</ref> though Israel disputes this. The international community considers Israeli settlements to violate the ]'s prohibition on the transfer of an occupying power's civilian population into occupied territory. The Israeli government 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.<ref name="BBC_GC4">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1682640.stm |title=The Geneva Convention |work=BBC News |date=10 December 2009 |access-date=27 November 2010 }}</ref> This view has been rejected by the ] and the ].<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100706021237/http://www.icj-cij.org/docket/files/131/1671.pdf |date=2010-07-06 }} International Court of Justice, 9 July 2004. pp. 44-45</ref>


== Controversies == == Controversies ==
At an international conference in Karlsruhe in November 2010, Jawad Hasan claimed that sewage and urban runoff from Beitar Illit have contaminated the local hydrological system.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Jawad Hasan|author2=Amer Marie|author3=Haneen Froukh|title=Integrated water resources management Karlsruhe 2010 : international conference, 24 - 25 November 2010; conference proceedings|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PEJAnpzb8kgC&pg=PA50|access-date=21 August 2012|year=2010|publisher=KIT Scientific Publishing|isbn=978-3-86644-545-1|pages=50–6|chapter=Watershed Management Under Terms of Depletive Water Balance and High Vulnerability in Wadi Fuqeen: West Bank Palestine}}</ref> The ] claims that sewage flows into neighboring Palestinian fields and orchards.<ref name=wafa>{{cite news|title=Settlers Drown Palestinians' Land with Wastewater in Bethlehem |url=http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=16268 |access-date=19 July 2011 |newspaper=Wafa |date=29 May 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110601170953/http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=16268 |archive-date=1 June 2011 }}</ref> Farmers from ] have complained that since the establishment of Beitar Illit in 1985, 11 natural wells have gone dry and they have suffered from overflow from the settlement's backed up sewers. The Israeli government has ordered Beitar Illit to address these sewage problems.<ref name=partnership>{{cite news|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_action=doc&p_topdoc=1&p_docnum=1&p_sort=YMD_date:D&p_product=AWNB&p_text_direct-0=document_id=%28%2012F3B17C62C1D7A8%20%29&p_docid=12F3B17C62C1D7A8&p_theme=aggdocs&p_queryname=12F3B17C62C1D7A8&f_openurl=yes&p_nbid=O60F51SIMTM0NTY5NjkxNS41MDcyODE6MToxMzoxOTIuMTYwLjIxNi4w&&p_multi=LEWB|title=Palestinian village and Israeli town build rare partnership across line|publisher=Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles|date=April 20, 2010|access-date=August 22, 2012}}</ref> At an international conference in Karlsruhe in November 2010, Jawad Hasan claimed that sewage and ] from Beitar Illit have contaminated the local hydrological system.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Jawad Hasan|author2=Amer Marie|author3=Haneen Froukh|title=Integrated water resources management Karlsruhe 2010 : international conference, 24 - 25 November 2010; conference proceedings|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PEJAnpzb8kgC&pg=PA50|access-date=21 August 2012|year=2010|publisher=KIT Scientific Publishing|isbn=978-3-86644-545-1|pages=50–6|chapter=Watershed Management Under Terms of Depletive Water Balance and High Vulnerability in Wadi Fuqeen: West Bank Palestine}}</ref> The ] claims that sewage flows into neighboring Palestinian fields and orchards.<ref name=wafa>{{cite news|title=Settlers Drown Palestinians' Land with Wastewater in Bethlehem |url=http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=16268 |access-date=19 July 2011 |newspaper=Wafa |date=29 May 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110601170953/http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=16268 |archive-date=1 June 2011 }}</ref> Farmers from ] have complained that since the establishment of Beitar Illit in 1985, 11 natural wells have gone dry and they have suffered from overflow from the settlement's backed up sewers. The Israeli government has ordered Beitar Illit to address these sewage problems.<ref name=partnership>{{cite news|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_action=doc&p_topdoc=1&p_docnum=1&p_sort=YMD_date:D&p_product=AWNB&p_text_direct-0=document_id=%28%2012F3B17C62C1D7A8%20%29&p_docid=12F3B17C62C1D7A8&p_theme=aggdocs&p_queryname=12F3B17C62C1D7A8&f_openurl=yes&p_nbid=O60F51SIMTM0NTY5NjkxNS41MDcyODE6MToxMzoxOTIuMTYwLjIxNi4w&&p_multi=LEWB|title=Palestinian village and Israeli town build rare partnership across line|publisher=Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles|date=April 20, 2010|access-date=August 22, 2012}}</ref>


In 2010, the Israeli interior ministry announced plans to build 112 new apartments during a visit by U.S. vice-president ], leading to widespread news coverage that embarrassed the Israeli government.<ref>{{cite news|title= Israel sorry for announcing homes plan during Biden visit|publisher=Guardian Unlimited|date=March 10, 2010|access-date=August 21, 2012|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_action=doc&p_topdoc=1&p_docnum=1&p_sort=YMD_date:D&p_product=AWNB&p_text_direct-0=document_id=%28%2012E6258FCF1F1800%20%29&p_docid=12E6258FCF1F1800&p_theme=aggdocs&p_queryname=12E6258FCF1F1800&f_openurl=yes&p_nbid=C61J54BLMTM0NTU3MTUzMS4yNDM2NDE6MToxMzoxOTIuMTYwLjIxNi4w&&p_multi=GULB}}</ref> In 2010, the Israeli interior ministry announced plans to build 112 new apartments during a visit by U.S. vice-president ], leading to widespread news coverage that embarrassed the Israeli government.<ref>{{cite news|title= Israel sorry for announcing homes plan during Biden visit|publisher=Guardian Unlimited|date=March 10, 2010|access-date=August 21, 2012|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_action=doc&p_topdoc=1&p_docnum=1&p_sort=YMD_date:D&p_product=AWNB&p_text_direct-0=document_id=%28%2012E6258FCF1F1800%20%29&p_docid=12E6258FCF1F1800&p_theme=aggdocs&p_queryname=12E6258FCF1F1800&f_openurl=yes&p_nbid=C61J54BLMTM0NTU3MTUzMS4yNDM2NDE6MToxMzoxOTIuMTYwLjIxNi4w&&p_multi=GULB}}</ref>
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== External links == == External links ==
* {{Official website|https://www.betar-illit.muni.il/}} * {{Official website|https://www.betar-illit.muni.il/}}
*
* {{Cite news|author=Ethan Bronner and Isabel Kershner|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/27/world/middleeast/27settlers.html?pagewanted=all|work=New York Times|title=In West Bank Settlements, Sign of Hope for a Deal|date=July 26, 2009|access-date=August 21, 2012}} * {{Cite news|author=Ethan Bronner and Isabel Kershner|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/27/world/middleeast/27settlers.html?pagewanted=all|work=New York Times|title=In West Bank Settlements, Sign of Hope for a Deal|date=July 26, 2009|access-date=August 21, 2012}}


{{Commons category|Beitar Illit}} {{Commons category}}
{{Judea and Samaria}} {{Judea and Samaria}}
{{Authority control}} {{Authority control}}

Latest revision as of 21:19, 23 October 2024

Israeli settlement in the West Bank

Place in West Bank
Beitar Illit
  • בֵּיתָר עִלִּית‎
  • بيتار عيليت
Hebrew transcription(s)
 • ISO 259Beitar ʕillit
 • Also spelledBetar Illit (official)
Official logo of Beitar Illit
Beitar Illit is located in the West BankBeitar IllitBeitar Illit
Coordinates: 31°41′52″N 35°6′56″E / 31.69778°N 35.11556°E / 31.69778; 35.11556
RegionWest Bank
Founded1985
Government
 • MayorMeir Rubenstein
Area
 • Total4,300 dunams (4.3 km or 1.7 sq mi)
Population
 • Total64,016
 • Density15,000/km (39,000/sq mi)
Websitebetar-illit.muni.il
Hachnasat Sefer Torah to the Boston synagogue in Beitar Illit.

Beitar Illit (Hebrew: בֵּיתָר עִלִּית; officially Betar Illit; Arabic: بيتار عيليت) is a Haredi Jewish-Israeli settlement organized as a city council in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc, ten kilometres (6 mi) southwest of Jerusalem in the West Bank. Beitar Illit is one of Israel's largest and most rapidly growing settlements, and in 2022 had a population of 64,016.

Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law.

Name

Beitar Illit (lit. Upper Beitar) is named after the ancient Jewish fortress city of Betar, whose ruins (known as Khirbet el-Yahud, Arabic for "Ruin of the Jews") lie one kilometre (1⁄2 mi) away, near the Palestinian village of Battir, which preserves the ancient name.

History

According to the ARIJ, Beitar Illit was established in 1985 on land which Israel had confiscated from two nearby Palestinian villages: 3,140 dunams from Husan and 1,166 dunams from Nahalin.

It was established by a small group of young families from the religious Zionist yeshiva of Machon Meir. The first residents settled in 1990. As Beitar Illit began to grow, an influx of Haredi Jewish Bobover families came to predominate, while the original group moved on. The city is now home to many Hasidic groups, including Bobov, Boston, Boyan, Breslov, Karlin-Stolin and Slonim. The city has expanded to three adjacent hills.

Geography

Beitar Illit lies in the northern Judean Hills at about 700 m above sea level. It is located just west of the intersection of Route 60, the north–south artery which roughly follows the watershed from Nazareth through Jerusalem to Beersheba, and Route 375, which descends west into the Elah Valley to the coastal plain and Tel Aviv area. It takes about 10 minutes to get to Jerusalem; Tel Aviv is around 60 minutes away. Beitar Illit is connected to West Jerusalem by the Tunnels Highway, which passes directly underneath the Arab town of Beit Jala and allows access to Jerusalem without coming within view of Arabs.

Demographics

Numbers

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
19955,500—    
200832,900+14.75%
201344,900+6.42%
201856,750+4.80%
201959,270+4.44%

At the end of 2003, the population was 23,000 and in 2006 it was 29,100. According to statistics from the Ministry of the Interior, the population in January 2007 was 35,000, an increase of 20% over one year. A Ministry of Interior report from July 2013 placed the population at 45,710.

With an annual birth rate of 1,800 births, Beitar Illit has the fastest population growth among the West Bank settlements. Approximately 63 percent of the population is under the age of 18, which is the highest percentage of children in any Israeli settlement or city.

Character

The population of Beitar Illit is 100% Haredi. Approximately 50% of the population is Hasidic.

An estimated 10 percent of the population is English-speaking. There are three English-speaking synagogues, two English-speaking kollels (one for retirees), and an English-speaking women's group.

As of 2010, all incoming residents used to be screened by an acceptance committee.

Education

As the population of Beitar Illit is Haredi, the schools are all Haredi schools. The city has close to 20,000 schoolchildren. Of these, approximately 6,000 are enrolled in the city's 225 preschools and daycare centers. Elementary school-age boys attend the city's 27 Talmud Torahs, and elementary school-age girls attend 18 elementary schools. Secondary education includes 21 yeshivas for boys and 11 high schools and post-high schools for girls. Married adult men study in 75 kollels.

Employment

A significant number of men work, mostly at home or in Jerusalem. Women are employed by local business process outsourcing companies that accommodate the Haredi lifestyle, such as Greenpoint, Matrix, and CityBook. In 2010, it was reported that 64.3% of working-age men and 45.8% of working-age women in Beitar Illit were unemployed.

Culture

One hundred and forty synagogues and 15 mikvehs serve the population.

Awards

Beitar Illit has been awarded the Israel Ministry of Interior's gold prize, recognizing "responsible management and sustainable urban planning", for eight years running. In 2002, it received the Ministry of Interior's prize for water conservation in public gardens, urban public institutions, and urban water administration. The municipal welfare department was awarded a prize and recognized by the national government as an "outstanding department" for its work in preventing teen dropouts.

The city is well known for its landscaping and general cleanliness. There are 94 parks and hundreds of playgrounds in the city. From 2000 to 2013, Beitar Illit earned five out of five stars in the Council for a Beautiful Israel's annual "Beautiful Town in a Beautiful Israel" contest, which recognizes a city's investment in environment, aesthetics, and maintenance of appearance and cleanliness. In 2005 the city won the Council for a Beautiful Israel's "Beauty Flag", which is awarded every five years.

Status under international law

Main article: International law and Israeli settlements

Like all settlements in the Israeli-occupied territories, Beitar Illit is considered illegal under international law, though Israel 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. The Israeli government 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.

Controversies

At an international conference in Karlsruhe in November 2010, Jawad Hasan claimed that sewage and urban runoff from Beitar Illit have contaminated the local hydrological system. The Palestinian Authority claims that sewage flows into neighboring Palestinian fields and orchards. Farmers from Wadi Fukin have complained that since the establishment of Beitar Illit in 1985, 11 natural wells have gone dry and they have suffered from overflow from the settlement's backed up sewers. The Israeli government has ordered Beitar Illit to address these sewage problems.

In 2010, the Israeli interior ministry announced plans to build 112 new apartments during a visit by U.S. vice-president Joe Biden, leading to widespread news coverage that embarrassed the Israeli government.

Beitar Illit was one of four cities named in a petition to the Israeli High Court in December 2010 alleging a pattern of discrimination against Sephardi girls in the local Haredi schools. A Beitar Illit spokesman denied the charges, stating that the percentage of Sephardi girls in the school matched the percentage of Sephardim in the settlement.

Notable residents

See also

References

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  2. "Why Israel invented the concept of 'settlement blocs'". Middle East Eye. 26 January 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
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  4. Joshua Mitnick (October 15, 2010). "Israeli settlement building surges as US pushes for a new freeze". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
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  8. Nahhalin Village Profile, ARIJ, p. 18
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  10. John Collins (Fall 2008). "Dromocratic Palestine". Middle East Report (248): 8–13. JSTOR 25164857.
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  14. ^ "Beitar Illit". Nefesh B'Nefesh. October 2010. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
  15. "Beitar Renewed" Archived September 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  16. "EU chides Israel over new West Bank settlement homes". Agence France-Presse. July 19, 2011. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
  17. "Israel to build 336 new West Bank settlement homes". Agence France-Presse. July 18, 2011.
  18. "The Geneva Convention". BBC News. 10 December 2009. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
  19. Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory Archived 2010-07-06 at the Wayback Machine International Court of Justice, 9 July 2004. pp. 44-45
  20. Jawad Hasan; Amer Marie; Haneen Froukh (2010). "Watershed Management Under Terms of Depletive Water Balance and High Vulnerability in Wadi Fuqeen: West Bank Palestine". Integrated water resources management Karlsruhe 2010 : international conference, 24 - 25 November 2010; conference proceedings. KIT Scientific Publishing. pp. 50–6. ISBN 978-3-86644-545-1. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
  21. "Settlers Drown Palestinians' Land with Wastewater in Bethlehem". Wafa. 29 May 2011. Archived from the original on 1 June 2011. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
  22. "Palestinian village and Israeli town build rare partnership across line". Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles. April 20, 2010. Retrieved August 22, 2012.
  23. "Israel sorry for announcing homes plan during Biden visit". Guardian Unlimited. March 10, 2010. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
  24. Jeremy Sharon (January 11, 2011). "Court postpones ruling on haredi school discrimination petition". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved August 21, 2012.

External links

Judea and Samaria Area
Cities Map of Judea and Samaria Area
Regional committee
Regional councils
Local councils
See also
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