Elkana or Elqana ( he, אֶלְקָנָה) is an Israeli settlement and local council in the north-western

Samaria Samaria (; he, שֹׁמְרוֹן, translit=Šōmrōn, ar, السامرة, translit=as-Sāmirah) is the historic and biblical name used for the central region of Palestine, bordered by Judea to the south and Galilee to the north. The first ...

n hills in the

West Bank The West Bank ( ar, الضفة الغربية, translit=aḍ-Ḍiffah al-Ġarbiyyah; he, הגדה המערבית, translit=HaGadah HaMaʽaravit, also referred to by some Israelis as ) is a landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...

, located 3.1 km to the east of the Green Line and the city of

Rosh HaAyin Rosh HaAyin ( he, רֹאשׁ הָעַיִן, lit="fountainhead", , ar, روش هاعين) is a city in the Central District of Israel. To the west of Rosh HaAyin is the fortress of Antipatris and the source of the Yarkon River. To the southea ...

.Lands Authority first published tenders for the new homes West Bank settlement of Elkana in November of 2013
- Retrieved 5 September 2014 It was founded in 1977 by a group from

Gush Emunim Gush Emunim ( he, גּוּשׁ אֱמוּנִים , ''Bloc of the Faithful'') was an Israeli ultranationalist Orthodox Jewish right-wing activist movement committed to establishing Jewish settlements in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and the Gol ...

of religious and non-religious

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...

s, and by July 2020 it had a population of 3858. Israeli settlements in the West Bank are considered illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.

History

According to ARIJ, Israel confiscated 1,626 dunams of land from the

Palestinian Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...

village of

Mas-ha Mas-ha ( ar, مسحة) is a Palestinian village located in the Salfit Governorate in the northern West Bank, 24 kilometers southwest of Nablus. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, it had a population of 2,003 in 2007. increas ...

in 1977 in order to construct Elkana. Elkana was established as one of the earliest settlements after 64

Knesset The Knesset ( he, הַכְּנֶסֶת ; "gathering" or "assembly") is the unicameral legislature of Israel. As the supreme state body, the Knesset is sovereign and thus has complete control of the entirety of the Israeli government (with ...

members signed a bill to allow the use of state land in the area for construction. On 1 May 1977, fifteen men climbed the hill and started preparing the area for families for the official day on 10 May. Amongst the first families to move to the settlement was that of the former Chief of Staff

Shaul Mofaz Shaul Mofaz ( he, שאול מופז; 4 November 1948) is a retired Israeli military officer and politician. He joined the Israel Defense Forces in 1966 and served in the Paratroopers Brigade. He fought in the Six-Day War, Yom Kippur War, 1982 Le ...

ten days later. Elkana became the fourth community to be established by the

Seventeenth government of Israel The seventeenth government of Israel was formed by Yitzhak Rabin on 3 June 1974, following the resignation of Prime Minister Golda Meir on 11 April and Rabin's election as Labor Party leader on 26 April. It was the first time an Israeli government ...

headed by

Yitzhak Rabin Yitzhak Rabin (; he, יִצְחָק רַבִּין, ; 1 March 1922 – 4 November 1995) was an Israeli politician, statesman and general. He was the fifth Prime Minister of Israel, serving two terms in office, 1974–77, and from 1992 until h ...

, following the Kadum outpost,

Ofra Ofra ( he, עֹפְרָה) is an Israeli settlement located in the northern West Bank. Located on the main road between Jerusalem and Nablus (Route 60), it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Binyamin Regional Council. In it had a population ...

, and

Ma'ale Adumim Ma'ale Adumim ( he, מַעֲלֵה אֲדֻמִּים; ar, معالي أدوميم) is an urban Israeli settlement organized as a city council in the West Bank, seven kilometers () east of Jerusalem. Ma'ale Adumim achieved city status in 1991. ...

. A few months later, forty families had moved into

prefabricated home Prefabricated homes, often referred to as prefab homes or simply prefabs, are specialist dwelling types of prefabricated building, which are manufactured off-site in advance, usually in standard sections that can be easily shipped and assembled. ...

's called 'ashkubiot' and after two years, over a hundred families lived in the village. In 1983, the first permanent structures were built as the village was divided into different neighbourhoods named after the number of homes planned in each one: 220, 165, 80, and 34 (also called ''Bnai Elkana''). More recently, two newer neighbourhoods have been built; One on the northern side of the town as well as another smaller one to the west. In November 2013 Israel published plans for 283 new homes to be built in Elkana. In January 2014 they received permission for the homes, and on 5 September 2014 announced tenders for the units. The town was named after the nearby Nahal Qana and

Elkanah Elkanah ( he, אֱלְקָנָה ''’Ĕlqānā'' " El has purchased") was, according to the First Book of Samuel, the husband of Hannah, and the father of her children including her first, Samuel. Elkanah practiced polygamy; his other wife, ...

, father of Samuel (1 Samuel 1:1), who is believed to have lived in the area. Virtually all of the town's residents are religious of a primarily national religious orientation. The Trans-Samarian Highway previously cut through the town until 2000 when the road, which now skirts to the south, was upgraded.

Notable residents

Nissan Slomiansky Nissan Slomiansky ( he, ניסן סלומיאנסקי, born 10 January 1946) is an Israeli politician. He served as a member of the Knesset for the National Religious Party between 1996 and 1999, and again from 2003-2009, and was re-elected again ...

(b. 1946), Member of the Knesset *

Shaul Yahalom Shaul Yahalom ( he, שאול יהלום, born 27 September 1947) is a former Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset between 1992 and 2006 for the National Religious Party. Biography Born in Tel Aviv during the Mandate era, Yah ...

(b. 1947), Former Member of the Knesset

References

{{Judea and Samaria Israeli settlements in the West Bank Local councils in Israel Mixed Israeli settlements Populated places established in 1977 1977 establishments in the Israeli Military Governorate

History

Notable residents

See also

References