Avnei Hefetz
Avnei Hefetz (Hebrew: אַבְנֵי חֵפֶץ, lit. Precious Stones), is an Israeli settlement (organised as a community settlement) located on the western edge of the northern West Bank. The settlement under the administrative municipal government of the Shomron Regional Council, is located adjacent to Tulkarm, Einav and Sal'it. The nearest Israeli cities are Netanya to the west and Kfar Saba to the southwest, both about a twenty-five-minute drive away. There are four distinct neighborhoods of Avnei Hefetz: Neve Hefetz – urban, Avnei Shoham – rural, Mitzpe Hefetz – rural, Avnei Hen – rural. In 2019 its population was 1,923.
Avnei Hefetz אַבְנֵי חֵפֶץ | |
|---|---|
| Hebrew transcription(s) | |
| • official | Avne Hefez |
| • unofficial | Avnei Chefetz |
  Avnei Hefetz  Avnei Hefetz | |
| Coordinates: 32°17′4.66″N 35°4′26.33″E | |
| District | Judea and Samaria Area |
| Council | Shomron |
| Region | West Bank |
| Founded | 1990 |
| Founded by | Students from Karnei Shomron |
| Population (2019) | 1,923[1] |
| Name meaning | Precious stones |
The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this. In 2016, settlement construction in the occupied West Bank increased by 34 percent. Authorities initiated a construction adding 1,814 new settler housing units. At least 129 new units in the Avnei Hefetz settlement were added to create a primarily industrial zone, rendering the colony increasingly closer to the neighboring Palestinian village of Shofa. [2][3]
History
Established in 1990 by a group of Israeli Orthodox Jewish students from the Karnei Shomron Hesder Yeshiva with help from Amana, Avnei Hefetz is now home to over 200 families, including hundreds of children. The name of the village comes from Isaiah 54:12:
- "And I will make thy pinnacles of rubies, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy border of precious stones."
Education
There are many institutions located on the settlement: six nurseries, six kindergartens, a combined elementary school and junior high school, and a morning and evening kollel.
References
- "Population in the Localities 2019" (XLS). Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
- https://fmep.org/blog/resourcetag/avnei-hefetz/
- "The Geneva Convention". BBC News. 10 December 2009. Retrieved 27 November 2010.