Gonen ( he, גּוֹנֵן, ''lit.'' Defended) is a

kibbutz A kibbutz ( he, קִבּוּץ / , lit. "gathering, clustering"; plural: kibbutzim / ) is an intentional community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. The first kibbutz, established in 1909, was Degania. Today, farming h ...

in northern

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

. Located in the

Finger of the Galilee The Galilee Panhandle ( he, אצבע הגליל, ''Etzba HaGalil'' (lit. "Finger of the Galilee"), is an elongated geopolitical area or " panhandle" in northern Israel comprising the northernmost section of the Upper Galilee held by Israel, and t ...

near Kiryat Shmona, the kibbutz falls under the jurisdiction of

Upper Galilee Regional Council The Upper Galilee Regional Council ( he, מוֹעָצָה אֲזוֹרִית הַגָּלִיל הַעֶלְיוֹן, translit. ''Mo'atza Azorit HaGalil HaElyon'') is a regional council in Israel's Upper Galilee region, bordered by the Mevo'ot Ha ...

. In it had a population of .

History

Gonen was established on 13 August 1951 as a

Nahal settlement Nahal settlements ( he, היאחזות נח"ל, ''Heahzut Nahal'') were settlements established by Nahal soldiers in Israel and Israeli-occupied territories Israeli-occupied territories are the lands that were captured and occupied by Isra ...

on the land of the Palestinian village of Ghuraba, which had become depopulated in the

1948 Arab–Israeli War The 1948 (or First) Arab–Israeli War was the second and final stage of the 1948 Palestine war. It formally began following the end of the British Mandate for Palestine at midnight on 14 May 1948; the Israeli Declaration of Independence had ...

. It was civilianised a year later by a group of

Hebrew Scouts The Hebrew Scouts Movement in Israel ( he, תנועת הצופים העבריים בישראל, ''Tnuat HaTzofim HaIvriyim BeYisrael'') is an Israeli Jewish co-ed Scouting and Guiding association with about 80,000 members. The Hebrew Scouts Movem ...

. It was the first Nahal settlement to convert to civilian control. Its name is derived from the Book of Kings and symbolized the settlement's strategic location and proximity to the pre-

Six-Day War The Six-Day War (, ; ar, النكسة, , or ) or June War, also known as the 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states (primarily United Arab Republic, Egypt, S ...

Israel–Syria border, established in the

1949 Armistice Agreements The 1949 Armistice Agreements were signed between Israel and Egypt,Syrian army " (''Guardians of the Homeland'') , colors = * Service uniform: Khaki, Olive * Combat uniform: Green, Black, Khaki , anniversaries = August 1st , equipment = , equipment_label = , battles = 1948 Arab–Israeli War Six ...

. Since 1994, the kibbutz has been in the process of conversion to a

community settlement A community settlement ( he, יישוב קהילתי, ''Yishuv Kehilati'') is a type of village in Israel and the West Bank. While in an ordinary town anyone may buy property, in a community settlement the village's residents are organized in ...

Economy

The economy of Gonen is based upon agriculture, including corn, citrus fruits, and the raising of cattle. There is also a mini-market and a guest house.

References

External links

Official website
{{Upper Galilee Regional Council Kibbutzim Kibbutz Movement Nahal settlements Populated places established in 1951 1951 establishments in Israel Populated places in Northern District (Israel)