| Giv'at Ze'ev | |
|---|---|
| Hebrew transcription(s) | |
| • Hebrew | גִבְעַת זְאֵב |
| • ISO 259 | Gibˁat Zˀeb |
| • Also spelled | Givat Zeev (unofficial) |
| Arabic transcription(s) | |
| • Arabic | جبعت زاب |
| View from the wadi | |
|
Giv'at Ze'ev
|
|
| Coordinates: | |
| Region | West Bank |
| District | Judea and Samaria Area |
| Founded | 1982 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Local council |
| • Head of Municipality | Yossi Avrahami |
| Area | |
| • Total | 4,841 dunams (4.8 km2 / 1.9 sq mi) |
| Population (2009) | |
| • Total | 11,200 |
| Name meaning | Zeev's Hill (also: Wolf Hill) |
| Website | www.givat-zeev.muni.il (Hebrew) |
Giv'at Ze'ev (Hebrew: גִּבְעַת זְאֵב) is an Israeli settlement and town governed by a local council, located in the West Bank five kilometers northwest of Jerusalem. While it lies within the borders of the Matte Binyamin Regional Council, it is a separate municipal entity. It is one of the larger Israeli settlements in the West Bank with an estimated population of 11,200.
The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.[1]
Giv'at Ze'ev, named after Ze'ev Jabotinsky, was founded in 1982 and was declared a local council in 1984. It is located just off Highway 443, affording the townspeople easy access to both Jerusalem and the Tel Aviv area. It is connected to Jerusalem by Egged bus routes 171, 271 and 371 and to Tel-Aviv by Egged bus number 471.
Giv'at Ze'ev has four elementary schools and one junior high school. There are two youth movement branches: the Israeli Scouts (Arava tribe) and Bnei Akiva.
Giv'at Ze'ev is the center of the Karlin-Stolin Hasidim and one of the town's most notable residents is the Stoliner Rebbe Boruch Yaakov Meir Shochet.
On March 9, 2008, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert approved the construction of 750 new homes in Giv'at Ze'ev under the Agan Ha'ayalot project. This approval stands in contrast to Olmert's policy of freezing new permits for expansion within existing settlements. Olmert argued that the project was first approved in 1999, but stopped in 2000, as a result of the Second Intifada. The approval was criticized by the Palestinian Authority, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and the European Union. On the political right, the Shas party took credit for pressuring Olmert to approve the project.[2]
Giv'at Ze'ev is located on the "Israel" side of the security fence. The town is patrolled by Mishmeret Ha'gvul and a local security force, and is secured by a security fence. Plans are underway to set a guard post near the entrance to route 443 (currently, the road is closed off by a security fence).
Giv'at Ze'ev is one of five settlement "blocs" that "[m]ost Israelis believe [] should become part of Israel when final borders are drawn"[3] and "both Prime Minister Sharon in 2005 and Prime Minister Benjamin Neyantahu in 2010 have repeatedly said the large settlement blocs will “remain in our hands.”"[4]
|
||||||||||||||||||||