Elkana

Elkana or Elqana (Hebrew: אֶלְקָנָה‎) is an Israeli settlement and local council in the north-western Samarian hills in the West Bank, located 3.1 km to the east of the Green Line and the city of Rosh HaAyin.[2] It was founded in 1977 by a group from Gush Emunim of religious and non-religious Jews, and by 2019 it had a population of 3,838.

For other uses, see Elkanah (name).

Elkana אֶלְקָנָה‎‎ القناة‎
Hebrew transcription(s)
• ISO 259	ʔelqana
Elkana
Coordinates: 32°6′35.99″N 35°2′3.48″E
Region	West Bank
District	Judea and Samaria Area
Founded	1977
Government
• Type	Local council (from 1981)
• Head of Municipality	Asaf Mintzer
Area
• Total	1,148 dunams (1.148 km^2 or 284 acres)
Population  (2019)[1]
• Total	3,838
• Density	3,300/km^2 (8,700/sq mi)
Name meaning	Named after Elkanah

Israeli settlements in the West Bank are considered illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.[3][4]

History

According to ARIJ, Israel confiscated 1,626 dunams of land from the Palestinian village of Mas-ha in 1977 in order to construct Elkana.[5]

Elkana was established as one of the earliest settlements after 64 Knesset members signed a bill to allow the use of state land in the area for construction. On 1 May 1977, fifteen men climbed the hill and started preparing the area for families for the official day on 10 May. Amongst the first families to move to the settlement was that of the former Chief of Staff Shaul Mofaz ten days later. Elkana became the fourth community to be established by the Seventeenth government of Israel headed by Yitzhak Rabin, following the Kadum outpost, Ofra, and Ma'ale Adumim. A few months later, forty families had moved into prefabricated home's called 'ashkubiot' and after two years, over a hundred families lived in the village.[6]

In 1983, the first permanent structures were built as the village was divided into different neighbourhoods named after the number of homes planned in each one: 220, 165, 80, and 34 (also called Bnai Elkana). More recently, two newer neighbourhoods have been built; One on the northern side of the town as well as another smaller one to the west.

In November 2013 Israel published plans for 283 new homes to be built in Elkana.[2] In January 2014 they received permission for the homes, and on 5 September 2014 announced tenders for the units.[7]

The town was named after the nearby Nahal Qana[6] and Elkanah, father of Samuel (1 Samuel 1:1), who is believed to have lived in the area. Virtually all of the town's residents are religious of a primarily national religious orientation.

The Trans-Samarian Highway previously cut through the town until 2000 when the road, which now skirts to the south, was upgraded.

Notable residents

• Nissan Slomiansky, Member of the Knesset
• Shaul Yahalom, Former Member of the Knesset[8]

See also

• Mas-ha

References

1. "Population in the Localities 2019" (XLS). Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
2. Lands Authority first published tenders for the new homes West Bank settlement of Elkana in November of 2013 - Retrieved 5 September 2014
3. "The Geneva Convention". BBC News. 10 December 2009. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
4. "Israel announces plans for 1,400 new settlement homes". BBC. 10 January 2014. The settlements are considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this...Israel's housing ministry issued tenders for the construction of 801 housing units in West Bank settlements, including Efrat, Elkana and Emanuel, and 600 in Ramat Shlomo in East Jerusalem.
5. Mas-ha Village Profile, ARIJ, 2013, p. 17
6. Hoberman, Haggai (2008). Keneged Kol HaSikuim [Against All Odds] (in Hebrew) (1st ed.). Sifriat Netzaim.
7. New Samaria Homes Announced Amid 'Covert Freeze' - Retrieved 5 September 2014
8. http://www.haaretz.com/news/2.222/settlers-will-occupy-7-10-knesset-seats-1.20688