Nokdim

Nokdim (Hebrew: נוֹקְדִים‎, lit. Shepherds) is an Israeli settlement organized as a community settlement in the West Bank. Located south of Bethlehem in the northern Judean Mountains, it falls under the jurisdiction of Gush Etzion Regional Council. In 2019 it had a population of 2,383.

Nokdim נוֹקְדִים‎
Nokdim
Coordinates: 31°38′38″N 35°14′41″E
Country	Israel
District	Judea and Samaria Area
Council	Gush Etzion
Region	West Bank
Affiliation	Amana
Founded	5 July 1982
Founded by	Residents of Tekoa
Population  (2019)[1]	2,383

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

A mixed community of religious and secular Jews, both native Israelis and immigrants, Nokdim is home to the religious pre-army Mechina Magen Shaul, established in 1996.[3]

History

Nokdim was founded on 5 July 1982 by residents of Tekoa. The settlement was originally named El-David in memory of two residents of Tekoa - Eli Pressman, a new immigrant from France who was killed in the 1982 Lebanon War, and David Rosenfeld, manager of the tourist site at Herodium who was murdered in July 1982 by two of his Palestinian employees. The name was rejected by the Government Naming Committee who suggested the name Nokdim, which was accepted by the settlers.[4]

The name is taken from the Bible (Amos 1:1) because of nearby settlement of Tekoa: "...Amos, who was among the shepherds of Tekoa".[5]

Land dispute

A 2006 Peace Now-report said that up to 30 percent of the land Nokdim is built on is privately owned, all or most of it by Palestinians. According to Israeli law, settlements on privately owned Palestinian land are illegal.[6]

Israeli–Palestinian conflict

In September 2001, Sarit Amrani (26) of Nokdim was murdered in Tekoa when terrorists opened fire on her family's car. Her husband Shai was seriously injured, while their three children, Zohar (4), Ziv (2) and Raz (3 months), who were in the car at the time of the shooting survived physically unharmed.[7]

In February 2002, Aharon Gorov (46) and Avraham Fish (65) were murdered in a shooting attack between Nokdim and Tekoa. Fish's daughter Tamar Lipschitz, who was nine months pregnant, was shot in the stomach. After being rushed to the hospital, she delivered a daughter through Caesarean section. Fish's granddaughter, Karine (4), suffered from shock. Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades claimed responsibility.[8][9]

Notable residents

• Avigdor Lieberman (b. 1958), former Israeli Defense Minister (Yisrael Beiteinu) and former Foreign Minister.

References

1. "Population in the Localities 2019" (XLS). Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
2. "The Geneva Convention". BBC News. 10 December 2009. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
3. "Mechinot". Jewish Agency. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
4. Michael Feige (2009). Settling in the hearts. Jewish fundamentalism in the occupied territories. Wayne State University Press. p. 77. ISBN 978-0-8143-2750-0. Retrieved 1 April 2011.
5. Hanna Bitan (2000). (1948–1998) Hamishim shenot hityashvut. Atlas shemot ha-yishuvim veha-mekomot be-Yisrael (1948-1998: Fifty Years of 'Hityashvut': Atlas of Names of Settlements and Places in Israel) (in Hebrew). Government of Israel, Karta, Jerusalem. p. 46. ISBN 965-220-423-4.
6. "Settlements 'violate Israeli law'". BBC. 21 November 2006. Retrieved 1 April 2011.
   Rory McCarthy (22 November 2006). "39% of Israeli settlements 'on private land'". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 April 2011.
   Nadav Shragai (22 November 2006). "Peace Now: 40 percent of settlements' land is owned by private Palestinians". Ha'aretz. Retrieved 1 April 2011.
   Dror Etkes (22 November 2006). "A settlements mafia". Ha'aretz. Retrieved 1 April 2011.
   Nadav Shragai (23 November 2006). "Blow to settlement movement". Ha'aretz. Retrieved 1 April 2011.
7. Sarit Amrani
8. Avraham Fish
9. Aharon Gorov