Havat Shikmim ( he, חוות שקמים, lit. "

Sycamore Sycamore is a name which has been applied to several types of trees, but with somewhat similar leaf forms. The name derives from the ancient Greek ' (''sūkomoros'') meaning "fig-mulberry". Species of trees known as sycamore: * ''Acer pseudoplata ...

Ranch") is a

sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated ...

ranch A ranch (from es, rancho/Mexican Spanish) is an area of land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of a farm. These terms are most ofte ...

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 ...

that belongs to the family of the late

Prime Minister of Israel The prime minister of Israel ( he, רֹאשׁ הַמֶּמְשָׁלָה, Rosh HaMemshala, Head of the Government, Hebrew acronym: he2, רה״מ; ar, رئيس الحكومة, ''Ra'īs al-Ḥukūma'') is the head of government and chief exec ...

Ariel Sharon. It is located in the northern

Negev The Negev or Negeb (; he, הַנֶּגֶב, hanNegév; ar, ٱلنَّقَب, an-Naqab) is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba (pop. ), in the north. At its sout ...

Desert, near

Sderot Sderot ( he, שְׂדֵרוֹת, , lit. ''Boulevards'', ar, سديروت) is a western Negev city and former development town in the Southern District of Israel. In it had a population of . Sderot is located less than a mile from Gaza (the ...

. The ranch covers 3,823 dunams (4 km²). Sharon purchased the ranch in 1972 with the help of a loan from

Meshulam Riklis Meshulam Riklis ( he, משולם ריקליס; 2 December 1923 – 25 January 2019) was an Israeli financier and businessman. Early years Born in Istanbul to a Russian-Jewish family, Riklis grew up in Tel Aviv, and attended the Herzliya Hebrew ...

. The ownership of the ranch was turned over to Sharon's sons

Omri Omri ( ; he, , ''‘Omrī''; akk, 𒄷𒌝𒊑𒄿 ''Ḫûmrî'' 'ḫu-um-ri-i'' fl. 9th century BC) was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the sixth king of Israel. He was a successful military campaigner who extended the northern kingdom of ...

and Gilad, to avoid conflict of interest when Sharon became

Agriculture Minister of Israel The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Israel ( he, משרד החקלאות ופיתוח הכפר, ''Misrad HaHakla'ut UFitu'ah HaKfar'') is the ministry of the Israeli government that oversees the country's agricultural industry. T ...

and

Industry, Trade and Labour Minister of Israel The Ministry of Economy ( he, משרד הכלכלה, ''Misrad HaKalkala'') is a ministry of the Israeli government that oversees commerce, industry and labor in Israel. History The ministry was established in 1948 as the Ministry of Commerce and ...

. The farm was built on the lands of a depopulated Arab village, Huj. According to Izzeldin Abuelaish the mosque of this village has been serving as the pen for Sharon's Arabian thoroughbred horses. In 2007, the farm was hit by rocket fire from the

Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip (;The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.761 "Gaza Strip /'gɑːzə/ a strip of territory under the control of the Palestinian National Authority and Hamas, on the SE Mediterranean coast including the town of Gaza.. ...

. One rocket exploded near a sheep barn. In June 2010, the

Israel Land Administration The Israel Land Administration (ILA; he, מנהל מקרקעי ישראל, Minhal Mekarka'ei Yisra'el; ar, مديرية أراضي اسرائيل) is an Israeli government authority responsible for managing land in Israel which is in the public d ...

(ILA) renewed the ranch's lease for an additional 49 years at NIS142,000 per year. The ranch had been in limbo since 2003, when the ILA decided to verify if the ranch was using extra land not in its ownership. Sharon and his second wife, Lily, are buried in Havat Shikmim.

References

{{coord, 31, 30, 42.44, N, 34, 38, 1.06, E, display=title Buildings and structures in Southern District (Israel) Gaza envelope Ranches Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council

See also

References