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Beitar Illit (Template:Lang-he-n; officially also spelled Betar Illit; "Illit" is pronounced "ee-leet") is an Israeli settlement and city west of Gush Etzion, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) south of Jerusalem, in the Judean Mountains of the West Bank. At the end of 2007, it had a total population of 38,800 consisting of over 6000 families. By 2020, the population is expected to reach 100,000. Beitar Illit was established in 1984 and initially settled by a small group of young families from the religious zionist yeshiva of Machon Meir, including that of Rabbi Reuven Hass (now of Beit El). As Beitar Illit began to grow, an influx of Haredi Jewish families came to predominate while the original group moved on. The city has since expanded to three adjacent hills. The city's ideology is based on the desire to have an exclusively Haredi environment. It is named after the ancient Jewish city of Betar, whose ruins lie 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) away.
The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.
Demographics
Beitar Illit is a fast-growing settlement, with a higher birthrate than any other habitation in the West Bank or Israel.
According to the statistics from the Ministry of Interior, the population figures for January 2007 there are 34,427 members listed on their computers and 29,404 citizens that are listed as active. The town is reported to have almost 20,000 schoolchildren. According to former mayor Yitzchak Pindrus, the population is expected to reach 100,000 by 2020, based on population growth and the building of new apartments to attract more Haredim from older Haredi cities such as Bnei Brak and parts of Jerusalem.
A significant percentage of men in the community work, mostly commuting to jobs in Jerusalem or working from home.
Geography
Beitar Illit is in the northern Judean Hills at about 950 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 and Tel Aviv is around 60 minutes away.
Status under international law
Like all Israeli 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. Israel 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 as without basis in international law by the International Court of Justice and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Achievements
Despite having no industry and minimal commerce, as well as a population that is generally weak economically, Beitar Illit has been awarded the Israeli Interior Ministry's gold prize for a balanced budget seven years running. 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 also received the 2005 national "flag award," as well as the Council for a beautiful Israel's "Stars of Beauty" prize as one of the cleanest Israeli municipalities, and for community education programs emphasizing recycling, for five years running.
2007 municipal elections
In a closely-fought election on October 30, 2007, Rabbi Yitzchak Pindrus, the incumbent mayor for the past five years, was defeated by Rabbi Meir Rubinstein.
Education
There are dozens of pre-schools, 50 elementary schools, 2 girls high schools, 3 yeshiva ketanahs, 2 yeshiva gedollahs, and 2 English kollels in Beitar Illit.
Controversial flooding of surrounding fields and villages
It has been reported that Beitar Illit authorities release the settlement's sewage on to the Palestinian fields and orchards surrounding the settlement.
The resulting flooding with wastewater is said to endanger the water table as well as cause health problems for the nearby villagers. Media reports also say it ruins surrounding crops, vineyards, and almond orchards.
See also
- Betar (fortress), the last Jewish fort held in the Bar Kochba revolt
- Battir, an Arab village adjacent to Beitar Illit and the Betar ruins.
References
- ^ "City: Beitar Illit". Govisitisrael.com. Retrieved 2011-07-19.
- "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" (PDF). EcoPeace/Friends of the Earth. January 2008. pp. 29–35. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
- Cite error: The named reference
haaretz1was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Community Guide". Nbn.org.il. Retrieved 2011-07-19.
- ^ "Communities -Beitar Illit". Kehillot Tehilla. Retrieved 2011-07-19.
- ^ "The Geneva Convention". BBC News. 10 December 2009. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
- Shragai, Nadav. "Ultra-Orthodox Jews deliver a population boom to the West Bank - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News". Haaretz.com. Retrieved 2011-07-19.
- Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory International Court of Justice, 9 July 2004. pp. 44-45
- "Beitar Renewed" on municipality website
- "Settlers Drown Palestinians' Land with Wastewater in Bethlehem". Wafa. 29 May 2011. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
External links
- Official site
- Nefesh B'Nefesh Community Guide for Beitar Illit, Israel
- Tehilla Community Guide for Beitar Illit, Israel
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