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East Talpiot or Armon HaNetziv is an Israeli neighbourhood in southern East Jerusalem, established in 1973 on land captured during the Six-Day War. The international community considers Israeli neighborhoods in East Jerusalem to be illegal settlements, but the Israeli government disputes this. East Talpiot is one of Jerusalem's Ring Neighborhoods.
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Map of Talpiyot Mizrah, Jerusalem
The neighborhood's municipal services are made available for residents of the nearby Arab neighborhoods including Jabel Mukaber and Sur Baher.
History
Before the new housing projects built after 1967, the area was known as Armon HaNetziv (lit. The Governor's Palace) after the headquarters of the British High Commissioner located on the hilltop. In 1928, Rachel Yanait Ben-Zvi, wife of Israel's second president Yitzhak Ben-Zvi, established an agricultural training farm for young women, the first of its kind in the country, in the area of East Talpiot. Both the farm and the Arab Girls College, another historical landmark, are earmarked for conservation. The Lili and Elejandro Shaltiel Community Center was inaugurated in 1980. Beit Canada, an absorption center for new immigrants, is located in East Talpiot. Nearly all the streets of East Talpiot take their names from those of Jews convicted and hanged as terrorists by the British before 1948.
Demography
In 2006, some 15,000 people were living in East Talpiot. Mainly populated by young couples when it was first established, the neighborhood is now aging. For the most part, East Talpiot is a secular neighborhood, with only 15 synagogues.
Archeological findings
An ancient tomb that some archeologists believe to be the tomb of Jesus and his family based on the names inscribed on the ossuaries was discovered in East Talpiot when a housing project was being built. An ancient aqueduct that brought water to the Temple Mount from springs located outside of Jerusalem was also discovered in East Talpiot. This waterworks, a highly sophisticated engineering feat, continued to function for more than two thousand years.