Kfar HaOranim

Kfar HaOranim (Hebrew: כְּפָר הָאֳרָנִים, lit. 'Village of the Pines'), also known as Menora (Hebrew: מְנוֹרָה) or Giv'at Ehud, is an Israeli settlement in the West Bank. Contiguous with Lapid and located near to the major city of Modi'in, it is organised as a community settlement and falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Binyamin Regional Council. In 2022 it had a population of 2,604.

Kfar HaOranim
כְּפָר הָאֳרָנִים
כפר האורנים‎
Etymology: Village of the Pines
Kfar HaOranim
Kfar HaOranim
Coordinates: 31°55′9″N 35°2′18″E
DistrictJudea and Samaria Area
CouncilMateh Binyamin
RegionWest Bank
Founded1997
Founded byAmana
Population
 (2022)[1]
2,604

The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.[2]

History

Planning for the settlement (then named Giv'at Ehud, after Ehud Ben-Amitai, a fighter pilot killed in a training accident) 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.

According to ARIJ, Israel confiscated 682 dunams of land from the Palestinian village of Saffa for the construction of Menora/Kfar HaOranim.[3]

Archeology

On a hill in the heart of the settlement archeological finds were discovered dating back to the Bar Kokhba Revolt.[4] A hiding complex was uncovered as well as a mikveh just north of the hiding complex, along with coins from that period. Furthermore a bath house from the Roman period was uncovered and preserved. About a kilometer south of these findings, the remains of an agricultural farm and wine cellar were discovered, dating back to the Byzantine period.





References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kfar HaOranim.
  1. "Regional Statistics". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  2. "The Geneva Convention". BBC News. 10 December 2009. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
  3. Saffa village profile, ARIJ, p. 17
  4. בית מרחץ רומי וחווה חקלאית ביזאנטית בישוה מנורה (ח' כריכור) (in Hebrew).
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