Otniel (Hebrew: עָתְנִיאֵל) is an Orthodox Israeli settlement in the West Bank. Located in the southern Judaean Mountains, south of Hebron, it falls under the jurisdiction of Har Hevron Regional Council. In 2022, it had a population of 1,041.
Otniel
עָתְנִיאֵל | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Otniel | |
| Coordinates: 31°26′23″N 35°01′44″E / 31.43972°N 35.02889°E | |
| District | Judea and Samaria Area |
| Council | Har Hevron |
| Region | West Bank |
| Affiliation | Amana |
| Founded | 1983 |
| Population (2022)[1] | 1,041 |
Otniel is named after the first biblical judge of Israel, Othniel Ben Kenaz; the settlement is located between the Palestinian cities of Yatta and Dahariya, adjacent to Highway 60, which connects Jerusalem and Be'er Sheva.[2]
Othniel serves as a regional center in the Hebron Hills and hosts numerous educational institutions: a Hesder Yeshiva, a high school yeshiva, a middle school, and a regional elementary school for the children of the settlement and the surrounding area. The nearby Jewish settlements to Othniel are Beit Hagai to the north and Shim'a and Mitzpe Eshtemoa to the south.[2]
The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.[3]
History
editThe settlement was established in 1983 south of Beit Hagai and north of Shim'a and the Palestinian villages of as-Samu, Yatta and ad-Dhahiriya. The settlement is named after the Biblical judge Otniel Ben Knaz.[4]
Status under international law
editThe international community considers all Israeli settlements in the West Bank to violate the Fourth Geneva Convention's prohibition on the transfer of an occupying power's civilian population into occupied territory.[5] Israel disputes that the Fourth Geneva Convention applies to the Palestinian territories as they had not been legally held by a sovereign prior to Israel taking control of them. This view has been rejected by the International Court of Justice and the International Committee of the Red Cross.[6]
Arab-Israeli conflict
editIn December 2002, four students were killed and ten were wounded by Palestinian gunmen in a shooting attack on the yeshiva. [7] [8] [9]
In November 2011, an Otniel resident, Rabbi Dan Mertzbach, was killed, and two women were wounded, when an Israel Defense Forces patrol, on alert for suspected militants, fired on their car as they drove to the Cave of the Patriarchs to pray in the early hours of the morning. [10]
In January 2016, a Palestinian entered the home of a woman and stabbed her to death in front of her three children. [11]
In July 2016, Michael Marc, a resident of Otniel, was killed and members of his family wounded in a drive-by shooting at Adorayim Junction near Otniel and Hebron.[citation needed] The shooter, Muhammad Faqih (aged 29) from Dura, was later arrested.[12]
Notable residents
edit- Yehuda Glick (b. 1965), Rabbi and activist
- Yakov Nagen (b. 1967), Rabbi and activist
- Re'em Ha'Cohen (b. 1957), Rabbi of Otniel
- Orit Mark Ettinger (b. 1999), media professional
References
edit- ^ "Regional Statistics". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
- ^ a b "Otniel". hrhevron.co.il.
- ^ "The Geneva Convention". BBC News. 10 December 2009. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
- ^ "Otniel, a religious settlement in the central Har Hebron region". 29 August 2004. Archived from the original on 29 August 2004.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ The settlers' struggle BBC News. 19 December 2003
- ^ Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory Archived 2010-07-06 at the Wayback Machine International Court of Justice, 9 July 2004. pp. 44-45
- ^ Harel, Amos (17 September 2003). "IDF Kills Hebron-area Jihad Leader". Haaretz.
- ^ "Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs". Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel).
- ^ "JPost - "Four slain, 10 wounded in attack on Otniel yeshiva"". Archived from the original on 2011-06-12. Retrieved 2010-08-04.
- ^ Altman, Yair (11 November 2011). "Soldier who mistakenly killed rabbi: I'm sorry". Ynetnews.
- ^ "Woman killed in stabbing attack in her home in Otniel, terrorist at large". The Jerusalem Post. January 17, 2016. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
- ^ Yehoshua, Yossi (28 July 2016). "The Account was Settled" (in Hebrew). Yedioth Ahronoth. pp. 2–3.
External links
edit
Media related to Otniel at Wikimedia Commons