District Judea and Samaria Area Region West Bank Founded by Mishkei Herut Beitar Founded 1984 | Council Shomron Affiliation Mishkei Herut Beitar Population (2015) 219 | |
 | ||
Hermesh (Hebrew: חֶרְמֵשׁ, lit. Scythe) is a communal village and an Israeli settlement in the western Samarian hills of the West Bank. Hermesh was founded in 1984 and falls under the jurisdiction of Shomron Regional Council. In 2015 it had a population of 219.
Contents
Map of Hermesh
The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.
History
Hermesh was established in 1984 by the Mishkei Herut Betar settlement organization. Most of the residents of Hermesh are secular Jews or non-Jews. More than half of the population are new immigrants, mainly from the former Soviet Union. Their motivation for living in the region is not ideology but quality of life.
On 29 October 2002, three residents of Hermesh, Orna Eshel (53), Hadas Turgeman (14), and Linoy Saroussi (14) were shot dead by a Palestinian gunman who entered the village armed with a Kalashnikov. A soldier and a resident were wounded in the attack. Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades claimed responsibility.
On 20 June 2005, a resident of Hermesh, Yevgeny Reider (28) was killed in a shooting attack near Baqa ash-Sharqiyya, in the northern West Bank. Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack.