| Hashmonaim | ||
|
|
||
| Hebrew | חַשְׁמוֹנָאִים | |
| Founded | July 7, 1988 | |
| Council | Mateh Binyamin | |
| Region | West Bank | |
| District | Judea and Samaria Area | |
| Coordinates | ||
| Population | 2,400 (2005) | |
|
Hashmonaim
|
||
Hashmonaim (Hebrew: חַשְׁמוֹנָאִים, lit. Hasmoneans) is an Israeli settlement located in the western section of the West Bank, off Route 443. The village is located two kilometers east of Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut, midway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and is under the jurisdiction of the Mateh Binyamin Regional Council of Israel.
The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.[1]
Contents |
Construction of the first homes began in December 1983. A dedication ceremony on June 12, 1984, was attended by Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir and the Sephardi chief rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu. The first families moved in on August 1987. The name derives from the location of Hashmonaim in a region where the Hasmoneans lived in antiquity.[2]
Hashmonaim originally consisted of two neighborhoods: Ramat Modi'in was established in 1983 and Ganei Modi'im in 1985. In 1996, Ganei Modi'in became part of Modi'in Illit.[3]
In 2010, there were 545 families living in Hashmonaim. Around 50% of the residents are native English speakers.[4] Most are members of the religious Zionist community.[5]
Like all Israeli settlements in the Israeli-occupied territories, the international community considers Hashmonaim to violate the Fourth Geneva Convention's prohibition on the transfer of an occupying power's civilian population into occupied territory and are as such illegal under customary international law.[6] 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 by the International Court of Justice and the International Committee of the Red Cross.[7][8]
Peace Now reported that 11.62% of the territory that Hashmonaim is located on is privately owned property that is likely owned by Palestinians.[9]
In May 2010, three homes in Hashmonaim were demolished by Israeli security forces. The buildings were deemed to be violating a 10-month construction freeze in the West Bank.[10]
There are nine synagogues in Hashmonaim: four Ashkenazi, three Sephardi, two Yemenite and one Chabad.[11] Hashmonaim has five kindergartens, a religious elementary school, and a high-school yeshiva, which attracts boys from all over the Binyamin Region. The community also has a clubhouse for young people, a separate Bnei Akiva branch, two basketball courts, a baseball field, playgrounds, a library and a fitness center.[5]
The drive from Hashmoniam to Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Petah Tikva is approximately thirty minutes by car. Bus and train connections are also available. The inauguration of the Modi'in Central Railway Station has greatly reduced the commute time to Tel Aviv.[12]
The Hashmonaim Titans are a local baseball team, part of the annual league run by the Israel Association of Baseball.[13]
|
||||||||||||||