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The spiritual center of shvut rachel need your help
Shvut Rachel (Hebrew: שבות רחל) is an Israeli settlement and a city in the West Bank, located 45 kilometers (30 mi) north of Jerusalem. Shvut Rachel is located in the Shiloh area in Binyamin. Nearby Israeli settlements include Shilo, Giv'at Har'el, Esh Kodesh, Keeda, and Adei Ad. The village, administrated by the Matte Binyamin Regional Council, has a population of 100 families. The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this. The Sasson Report in 2005 noted that the settlement extends over Palestinian land, part of which is owned by Fawzi Haj Ibrahim Mohammad from Jalud, turned over to the settlement after the Israeli authorities declared it state land.
Contents
- The spiritual center of shvut rachel need your help
- Map of Shvut Rahel
- Scene of terror attack near shvut rachel hebrew testimony
- History
- Legal status
- Midreshet Binat
- References
Map of Shvut Rahel
Scene of terror attack near shvut rachel hebrew testimony
History
The village was founded in November 1991 in memory of the victims of a terrorist attack on a civilian bus. Rachela Druk of Shilo, a mother of 7, and Yitzhak Rofe, the bus driver - who were on their way to a demonstration in Tel Aviv. On the night of the funerals, a group of students from the yeshiva in Shilo as well as two young couples, including a pregnant woman who gave birth a week later, established Shvut Rachel. The settlers moved on to the land without government permission.
In February 2012 the Israeli government approved the construction of new housing units in Shvut Rachel. This action was condemned by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union, Catherine Ashton.
Legal status
Like all Israeli settlements in the Israeli-occupied territories, Shvut Rachel is considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this. The international community considers Israeli settlements to violate the Fourth Geneva Convention's prohibition on the transfer of an occupying power's civilian population into occupied territory. Israel disputes that the Fourth Geneva Convention applies to the Palestinian territories as they had not been legally held by a sovereign prior to Israel taking control of them. This view has been rejected by the International Court of Justice and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Israel itself differentiates between "legal" and "illegal" settlements. Shvut Rachel was illegal by Israeli standards until February 2012. According to Peace Now, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories legalized the outpost by redesignating it as a neighborhood of Shilo.
Midreshet Binat
Binat is a midrasha located in Shvut Rachel. Headed by Rabbi Ronen Tamir, it was founded in 2000 as an additional branch of the nearby yeshiva in Shilo. It includes a regular seminary program, a one-month program in September for college students, and a joint program with Beit Vegan Teachers College. It is associated with the Talpiot College of Education.