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Pisgat Ze'ev (Template:Lang-he, lit. Ze'ev's Peak), is the largest residential neighborhood in Jerusalem, home to a population of over 50,000. Established on land annexed to Israel after the 1967 Six Day War as one of the city's five ring neighborhoods, Pisgat Ze'ev is considered an Israeli settlement in East Jerusalem by the international community, and held by it to be illegal under international law, although the Israeli government disputes this. Pisgat Ze'ev was established on land annexed to Israel after the Six Day War, as one of the city's five ring neighborhoods.

Pisgat Ze'ev is situated in the city's northern sector to the east of Shuafat and Beit Hanina, west of Hizma, south of Neve Yaakov, and north of French Hill, 'Anata and the Shuafat refugee camp.

History

Antiquity

Archeological evidence shows that in the biblical period, the site encompassed small agricultural villages along routes north from Jerusalem to Nablus and the Galillee. The villages made use of varied water-catchment strategies and served the needs of Israelite Jerusalem, including as a major producer of wine and oil for use in the Temple in Jerusalem.

The Byzantine period saw the villages' primary use shift from agriculture to service religious functions, such as churches and monasteries. A large monastery from the period was located at the site's highest point, Ras at-Tawill. The monastery was likely active from the end of the 5th century to the close of the 8th century, and included a mosaic-floored chapel above a burial cave, as well as an oil press and a cloth bag of 200 coins. An oven and pots from the Iron Age were also found nearby.

An archaeological site known as Deir Ghazali (the Deer Monastery) was excavated in Pisgat Ze’ev.

Overlooking the neighborhood is Tell el-Ful, believed to be the capital of the Tribe of Judah and site of the Israelite King Saul's palace. King Hussein of Jordan also began constructing a palace there.

Modern era

Pisgat Ze'ev was established in 1982 on land annexed to Israel after the 1967 Six Day War as one of the city's five ring neighborhoods, meant to create a contiguous Jewish link with Neve Yaakov in the city's north, which had been isolated from other Jewish areas. The original name proposal was "Pisgat Tal," based on the Arabic name of the hilltop where construction was to begin, Ras at-Tawill, but the final choice was Pisgat Ze'ev, after the Revisionist Zionist leader, Ze'ev Jabotinsky.

In May 2003, a public bus leaving the Pisgat Ze'ev terminus was blown up by a Palestinian suicide bomber. Seven people were killed in the attack and dozens were wounded. The police said the bomber boarded the bus disguised as a religious Jew, wearing a kippa and a prayer shawl. One of the victims was a resident of the Shuafat refugee camp, on his way to work at the Hadassah Medical Center in Ein Kerem.

Geography

v t e Jerusalem Light Rail Red Line
Legend
Neve Yaakov Yitzhak Tabenkin Mazal Keshet Moshe Dayan North Heil Ha-Avir Sayeret Dukhifat Pisgat Ze'ev Center Yekuti'el Adam Beit 'Hanina Shu'afat Es-Sahl Depot Giv'at Ha-Mivtar Ammunition Hill Shim'on Ha-Tsadik Shivtei Israel Damascus Gate City Hall Jaffa Center Ha-Davidka Mahane Yehuda Ha-Turim Central Bus Station Kiryat Moshe He-'Halutz Denia Square Yefeh Nof Mount Herzl Shmaryahu Levin Kiryat HaYovel West Mifletzet Park Henrietta Szold East Kiryat Menachem Ora Junction Medical School Hadassah Ein Kerem

The neighborhood was established on a hilltop known in Arabic as Ras at-Tawill, 772 meters above sea level, and its additional phases descend along the ridge and up to a neighboring hill. Pisgat Ze'ev has five districts: Center (1984), West (1988), East and North (1990), and South (1998). Pisgat Ze'ev is situated in north Jerusalem to the east of Shuafat and Beit Hanina, west of Hizma, south of Neve Yaakov, and north of French Hill, 'Anata and the Shuafat refugee camp. It is due east of the watershed on the edge of the Judean Desert.

Demographics

Pisgat Ze'ev drew buyers leaving the expensive city-center in search of more affordable housing. The neighborhood has many kindergartens and elementary schools as well as high schools, as many residents are families with children. Many synagogues are also supported by a population mixed between those religiously observant and secular Jews.

Since the establishment of Pisgat Ze'ev, the proportion of Jews living in East Jerusalem has risen. In 1990, there were 150,000 Arabs and 120,000 Jews in East Jerusalem; in 1993, there were 155,000 Arabs and 160,000 Jews.The construction of the Israeli West Bank barrier in 2004 has increased the number of Palestinians moving to Pisgat Ze'ev.In 2007, 1,300 Arabs were living in Pisgat Zeev.

Status under international law

The international community considers Israeli settlements a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention. Israel disputes that the Fourth Geneva Convention applies to these 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.

Schools and public buildings

With 40 percent of the residents under the age of 21, Pisgat Ze'ev has 58 kindergartens, 9 elementary schools, 2 middle schools and 3 high schools. There are also 22 synagogues and 2 libraries.

Transportation

Pisgat Ze'ev's major commercial thoroughfare, Moshe Dayan Boulevard, begins at Highway 1 in the south and ends in Neve Yaakov in the north. Several streets in Pisgat Ze'ev are named for Israel Defense Force units and Israeli generals. It is linked to downtown Jerusalem by a direct freeway, Jerusalem Road 1 (National Highway 60), and by the Red Line of Jerusalem's new light rail system.

Environmental projects

With the help of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI), the residents of Pisgat Ze'ev transformed a 5-acre (20,000 m) site used as an illegal dumping ground into a wildflower sanctuary with over 55 species of trees and plants.

See also

• List of places in Jerusalem
• Kubur Bani Yisra’il
• Royal Palace, Tell el-Ful

References

1. Pisgat Ze'ev at GoJerusalem.com
2. "The Geneva Convention". BBC News. 10 December 2009. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
3. ^ Pisgat Ze'ev Jerusalem Municipality
4. Heritage conservation in Israel:Maintaining Antiquities Sites in the Western Part of the City
5. "Jerusalem Neighborhoods: Pisgat Ze'ev". Jerusalem Municipality. 2009-07-13. Retrieved 2010-03-30.
6. Silver, Eric (2003-05-19). "Nightmare images from a Jerusalem commuter bus". The Independent. Retrieved 2010-03-30.
7. Sedan, Gil (2003-05-23). "Rich, poor, Arab, Jew - Terror kills without prejudice". Jweekly.com. Retrieved 2010-03-30.
8. Godfrey-Goldstein, Andrea (2006-05-22). "The Choice is Now". The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions. Retrieved 2010-03-30.
9. "East Jerusalem". B'Tselem, The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights. Retrieved 2010-03-30.
10. Mitnick, Joshua (2006-05-08). "Jerusalem barrier prompts Arabs to move across town". The Washington Times. Retrieved 2010-03-30.
11. Holy city twist: Arabs moving into Jewish areas
12. The settlers' struggle BBC News. 19 December 2003
13. Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory International Court of Justice, 9 July 2004. pp. 44-45
14. Opinion of the International Court of Justice B'Tselem
15. SPNI Jerusalem

External links

• Official website Template:He icon
• Jerusalem Photos Portal - Pisgat Ze'ev

31°49′30″N 35°14′30″E / 31.82500°N 35.24167°E / 31.82500; 35.24167

• Neighbourhoods of Jerusalem