Tzofar ( he, צוֹפָר) is a

moshav A moshav ( he, מוֹשָׁב, plural ', lit. ''settlement, village'') is a type of Israeli town or settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists between 1904 an ...

southern Israel The Southern District ( he, מחוז הדרום, ''Meḥoz HaDarom''; ar, لواء الجنوب) is one of Israel's Districts of Israel, six administrative districts, the largest in terms of land area but the most Population density, sparsely p ...

Etymology

The name derives from the nearby Tzofar stream and is also referring to one of the "friends" of Job (f.e. Job 2:11). In the Negev there are also kibbutzim with the names of the two other "friends"; nearby former Mahane Bildad, since 2001 named

Tzukim Tzukim ( he, צוּקִים, lit. ''Cliffs''), also Zukim, is a community settlement in southern Israel. Located in the Arava, 8 km south of Tzofar, it falls under jurisdiction of the Central Arava Regional Council. In it had a population o ...

, and Elifaz in the southern Arava.

History

The settlement was founded 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 ...

in 1968 where Bildad Camp is currently located. In 1975 it was established as a

by city residents and native moshavniks and relocated several kilometers north to reach is present-day location. After the

peace agreement A peace treaty is an agreement between two or more hostile parties, usually countries or governments, which formally ends a state of war between the parties. It is different from an armistice, which is an agreement to stop hostilities; a surren ...

between Israel and

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

, Israel transferred a portion of the land area in Tzofar to Jordanian control, known as Al Ghamr, but Israel rented the land so that Israeli workers from the moshav could continue to cultivate it. The 25-year renewable lease would end in 2019. The Jordanian government announced its intention to end the lease. The treaty gives Jordan the right to do so only on one condition-that a one-year prior notice is given, which coincided with the announcement in October 2018. In October 2019, Israeli officials said that King

Abdullah II Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein ( ar, عبدالله الثاني بن الحسين , translit=ʿAbd Allāh aṯ-ṯānī ibn al-Ḥusayn; born 30 January 1962) is King of Jordan, having ascended the throne on 7 February 1999. He is a member of t ...

of Jordan agreed that Israeli farmers can continue working their crops in the Al Ghamr enclave for another season. Jordan denied the Israeli officials' claim and said the decision to take the land was "final and decisive." The Jordanian King Abdullah II said that as of 10 November 2019, Israeli farmers will be banned from entering Al Ghamr enclave.

Economy

Winter farming is the main industry of the moshav. The produce is intended mainly for export, while some of it is sold locally. Vegetables grown in the moshav include melons, peppers, and tomatoes. An attempt has been made to farm lobster in artificial ponds. Pens for cattle have been constructed to serve as a holding place for cattle being imported into Israel. The moshav also contains a grove of palm trees jointly owned by all the inhabitants. A secondary source of income is tourism, based on the proximity of Tzofar to the ancient

Nabataean The Nabataeans or Nabateans (; Nabataean Aramaic: , , vocalized as ; Arabic: , , singular , ; compare grc, Ναβαταῖος, translit=Nabataîos; la, Nabataeus) were an ancient Arab people who inhabited northern Arabia and the southern Lev ...

spice route and ancient Nabataean city of Moa.

Arava Spiritual Center

Within the jurisdiction of the moshav is the " Ehvam - International Spiritual Center for Peace", also known as the "Arava Spiritual Center", which was founded in 2007.

References

{{Authority control Moshavim Nahal settlements Populated places in Southern District (Israel) Populated places established in 1975 1975 establishments in Israel