Havat Gilad

Havat Gilad
Havat Gilad
Coordinates: 32°12′49″N 35°10′27″E / 32.213663°N 35.174156°E / 32.213663; 35.174156Coordinates: 32°12′49″N 35°10′27″E / 32.213663°N 35.174156°E / 32.213663; 35.174156
District Judea and Samaria Area
Region West Bank
Affiliation Jewish
Founded 2002
Founded by Itai Zar
Website havatgilad.rjews.net

Havat Gilad (Hebrew: חַוַּת גִּלְעָד‎, lit. Gilad Farm) is an Israeli outpost in the West Bank, beyond the jurisdiction of the Shomron Regional Council. It was established in 2002 in memory of Gilad Zar, security coordinator of the Shomron Regional Council, who was shot and killed in 2001.[1] It is considered an unauthorized outpost by the Israeli government and is on a list of outposts that Israel promised the U.S. to dismantle.[2] The outpost was dismantled several times, but settlers have returned and re-established it.[3] The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.[4]

Land ownership

Havat Gilad is located on land allegedly privately owned by Moshe Zar, a religious Zionist and long-time friend of former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. He has been buying land in the West Bank from individual Palestinians since 1979. A number of Palestinians have taken him to court on claims that he falsified contracts.[5] After his son Gilad was killed, he vowed that he would establish six settlements in his son′s memory, one for each Hebrew letter of his name.[6]

History

There have been a number violent incidents involving Havat Gilad settlers. On October 16, 2002, journalists covering a so-called “quiet” evacuation at the outpost, were attacked by settlers,[7] on October 19, 2002, a Shabbath, when the outpost was forcibly evacuated and all its buildings were razed by the Israel Defense Forces for the first time, about 1,000 settlers, trying to prevent the dismantling of the outpost, clashed with soldiers and police. During the two days of confrontations, 46 policemen, and dozens of male and female soldiers and settlers were lightly injured. Fifteen people were arrested, but were released a few days later.[8] Some of the settlers were back at the outpost the next day and erected temporary structures which were dismantled a week later, but the settlers were back on the site after a few hours.[9] In November, security forces decided to file charges against twelve of the protesters.[10] In 2004, police arrested one settler, after armed settlers from the outpost had opened fire on shepherds from a nearby Palestinian village.[11] In March 2009, five residents of the outpost were briefly arrested on suspicion of throwing stones at police, when security forces attempted to evacuate the site. In September of the same year, settlers and security forces clashed following an attempt by security forces to confiscate a truck which was supposedly used to illegally transport a mobile home to the site, leading to four arrests.[12] In October 2010, Havat Gilad settlers set fire to olive trees belonging to Palestinian farmers of the village of Farata.[13]

On February 28, 2011, Civil Authority forces escorted by police officers arrived in the settlement to demolish several illegal structures. Violent clashes erupted when settlers threw rocks at police, who responded with tear gas, stun grenades, and rubber bullets, injuring 15 settlers. Eight settlers were arrested, five for carrying concealing weapons, one for stone-throwing, and two for cutting down Palestinian olive trees.[14][15] The demolition of the outpost led to further protests and violence among Israeli rightists,[16] Seventeen pro-settlement protesters, seven of whom minors, were charged with disturbing the peace, attacking police, and damaging police vehicles.[17] A week after the demolition, the destroyed structures were being rebuilt, and the settlers were said to plan to build several new homes, in addition to the ones that were demolished, as an act of protest. However, the government pledged to demolish the new buildings by the end of the year.[18] On February 5, 2014, three residents of Gilad Farm were arrested on suspicion of having touched two cars, and for spraying graffiti in the Palestinian village of Farata.[19]

On 30 January 2015, members of the Golani Brigade shot dead a Palestinian man who was about to throw a fire bomb at the road leading to Havat Gilad.[20]

Tourism

Some residents of Havat Gilad have developed tourism resorts and activities open to guests from Israel, and incoming tourism from aboard. In February 2016, New York Times journalist Steven Erlanger visited the village home of Elana and Yehuda Shimon for dinner, and to check out the pottery classes and spend the night at one of the local guest homes.[21]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Gilad Farm". Peace Now. Retrieved 2011-03-04.
  2. ↑ Dan Izenberg (July 30, 2009). "Israeli NGO Battles Settlements in US". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2011-03-04.
  3. ↑ "Eight settlers arrested in clashes with police in illegal West Bank outpost". Haaretz. February 28, 2011. Retrieved 2011-03-04.
  4. ↑ "The Geneva Convention". BBC News. 10 December 2009. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
  5. ↑ Samantha M. Shapiro (February 16, 2003). "The Unsettlers". New York Times. Retrieved 2011-03-04.
  6. ↑ Nadav Shragai (June 7, 2006). "Ramat Gilad residents prefer their mobile homes to luxury homes". Haaretz. Retrieved 2011-03-04.
  7. ↑ Amos Harel, Nadav Shragai (October 21, 2002). "Ben-Eliezer denies settlers' claims of a deal at Havat Gilad". Haaretz. Retrieved 2011-03-04.
  8. ↑ Amos Harel (October 25, 2002). "All Havat Gilad detainees released". Haaretz. Retrieved 2011-03-04.
  9. ↑ Amos Harel, Nadav Shragai (October 30, 2002). "Havat Gilad outpost evacuated again, but later re-occupied". Haaretz. Retrieved 2011-03-04.
  10. ↑ Baruch Kra (November 14, 2002). "Security forces to file charges against 12 Havat Gilad protestors". Haaretz. Retrieved 2011-03-04.
  11. ↑ "Settler Violence Report 67, 1st - 15th June 2004". The Alternative Information Center . June 15, 2004.
  12. ↑ Chaim Levinson (September 14, 2009). "Settlers, troops clash at outpost". Haaretz. Retrieved 2011-03-04.
  13. ↑ "Israel settlers start fires amid West Bank harvest". Agence France Press. October 16, 2010.
  14. ↑ http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4035338,00.html
  15. ↑ Chaim Levinson (March 1, 2011). "Israeli security forces defend use of rubber bullets during West Bank outpost demolition. Security forces returned to the Havat Gilad outpost in the West Bank to demolish three structures; thirteen people were injured in ensuing clashes with police.". Haaretz. Retrieved 2011-03-04.
  16. ↑ Chaim Levinson, Nir Hasson (March 3, 2011). "Rightists launch 'day of rage' over West Bank outpost demolition. Demonstrators block Tel Aviv-Jerusalem highway, place burning tires in entrance to Jerusalem to protest demolition of illegal structures in the Havat Gilad outpost". Haaretz. Retrieved 2011-03-04.
  17. ↑ "Jerusalem court indicts 17 pro-settlement protesters". Haaretz. March 1, 2011. Retrieved 2011-03-04.
  18. ↑ "Havat Gilad Rebuilds Destroyed Homes". IsraelNationalNews.com. March 8, 2011. Retrieved 2011-03-08.
  19. ↑ Tovah Lazaroff, at Jerusalem Post, 5 February, 2014.
  20. ↑ Ha'aretz 31/1/2015
  21. ↑ Erlanger, Steven (Feb 7, 2016). "West Bank Settlers' Listings on Airbnb Draw Palestinian Anger". New York Times.
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