Kfar HaOranim

Kfar HaOranim
כְּפָר הָאֳרָנִים, כפר האורנים
Kfar HaOranim
Coordinates: 31°55′9.48″N 35°2′17.52″E / 31.9193000°N 35.0382000°ECoordinates: 31°55′9.48″N 35°2′17.52″E / 31.9193000°N 35.0382000°E
District Judea and Samaria Area
Council Mateh Binyamin
Region West Bank
Founded 1997
Founded by Amana
Population 2,200
Name meaning Village of the Pines

Kfar HaOranim (Hebrew: כְּפָר הָאֳרָנִים. lit. Village of the Pines), also known as Menora (Hebrew: מְנוֹרָה) or Giv'at Ehud, is a communal Israeli settlement in the West Bank. It is contiguous with Lapid and near to the major city of Modi'in, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Binyamin Regional Council. In 2007 it had a population of 2,000.

Planning for the settlement (then with the name Giv'at Ehud, after Ehud Ben Amiti, a fighter pilot in Operation Opera) began in 1981. The cornerstone was laid in 1984 at a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, by which time the name had changed to Menora. However, legal issues over the ownership of the land led to a delay in construction. The first residents finally moved in during October 1997.

The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.[1]

References

  1. "The Geneva Convention". BBC News. 10 December 2009. Retrieved 27 November 2010.