Mateh Binyamin Regional Council (Hebrew: מועצה אזורית מטה בנימין, Mo'atza Azorit Mateh Binyamin, Lit. Council for the Region of the Tribe of Benjamin) is a regional council governing 47 Israeli settlements and outposts in the West Bank. The council's jurisdiction is from the Jordan valley in the east to the Samarian foothills in the west, and from the Shiloh creek in the north to the Jerusalem Mountains in the south.
Mateh Binyamin
מטה בנימין | |
|---|---|
Regional council (from 1980) | |
 The new council building (from December 2020) at Sha'ar Binyamin | |
 | |
 | |
| Region | West Bank |
| District | Judea and Samaria Area |
| Government | |
| • Head of Municipality | Israel Ganz |
| Population (2019) | |
• Total | 86,785 |
| Website | Official website |
The seat of the council is Psagot.[1] The council is named for the ancient Israelite tribe of Benjamin, whose territory roughly corresponds to that of the council. The region in which the Binyamin settlements are located is referred to as the Binyamin Region.
The international community considers Israeli settlements to be illegal, but the state of Israel disputes this, and this applies to all communities under the administration of Mateh Binyamin.
List of settlements
editThis regional council provides various municipal services for the 47 settlements within its territory:
| Name | Type | Founded | Population (2022) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adei Ad | Israeli outpost | 1990 | |
| Ahia | Israeli outpost | 1997 | |
| Almon (Anatot) | Community settlement | 1982 | 1,467 |
| Alon | Community settlement | 1990 | 1,111 |
| Amichai | Community settlement | 2017 | 264 |
| Ateret | Community settlement | 1981 | 891 |
| Beit Horon | Community settlement | 1977 | 1,442 |
| Dolev | Community settlement | 1983 | 1,613 |
| Eli | Community settlement | 1984 | 4,701 |
| Esh Kodesh | Israeli outpost | 2001 | |
| Ganei Modi'in | Community settlement | 1985 | 2,735 |
| Geva Binyamin (Adam) | Community settlement | 1984 | 5,913 |
| Giv'at Asaf | Israeli outpost | 2001 | |
| Givat Harel | Neighbourhood | 1998 | |
| Givat HaRoeh | Community settlement | 2003 | |
| Giv'on HaHadasha | Community settlement | 1981 | 996 |
| Halamish (Neve Tzuf) | Community settlement | 1977 | 1,590 |
| Harasha | Community settlement | 1997 | |
| Hashmonaim | Community settlement | 1987 | 2,589 |
| Keeda | Israeli outpost | 2003 | |
| Kerem Reim | Israeli outpost | 2009 | |
| Kfar Adumim | Community settlement | 1979 | 4,957 |
| Kfar HaOranim (Menora/Giv'at Ehud) | Community settlement | 1997 | 2,604 |
| Kokhav HaShahar | Community settlement | 1980 | 2,501 |
| Kokhav Ya'akov | Community settlement | 1984 | 9,794 |
| Ma'ale Levona | Community settlement | 1984 | 1,018 |
| Ma'ale Mikhmas | Community settlement | 1981 | 1,744 |
| Matityahu | Community settlement | 1981 | 920 |
| Mevo Horon | Moshav | 1969 | 2,669 |
| Migron | Community settlement | 1999 | 260 |
| Mitzpe Danny | Israeli outpost | 1998 | |
| Mitzpe Hagit | Israeli outpost | 1999 | |
| Mitzpe Kramim | Israeli outpost | 1999 | |
| Mitzpe Yeriho | Community settlement | 1976 | 2,657 |
| Na'ale | Community settlement | 1988 | 2,839 |
| Nahliel | Community settlement | 1984 | 743 |
| Neria (Talmon Bet/North) | Community settlement | 1991 | |
| Neveh Erez | Israeli outpost | 2001 | |
| Nili | Community settlement | 1981 | 2,059 |
| Nofei Prat | Community settlement | 1992 | |
| Ofra | Community settlement | 1975 | 3,497 |
| Psagot | Community settlement | 1981 | 2,086 |
| Rimonim | Community settlement | 1980 | 707 |
| Shiloh | Community settlement | 1978 | 5,072 |
| Shvut Rachel | Community settlement | 1992 | |
| Talmon | Community settlement | 1989 | 5,379 |
| Tel Zion | Community settlement | 2000 |
The community settlement of Ofarim was joined with the adjacent local council of Beit Aryeh in 2003 and has ceased to exist as an independent entity. Tel Zion was a semiautonomous neighbourhood of Kokhav Ya'akov, ultimately becoming a separate locality in 2023,[2] while Zeit Ra'anan is a semiautonomous neighbourhood of Talmon. Amona was dismantled by government order in 2016 and a new site was authorized in the Shiloh Bloc.[3] Ginot Aryeh was established in 2001 but evacuated in 2004.[4]
Heads of the Mateh Binyamin Regional Council
edit| Name | Took Office | Left Office |
|---|---|---|
| Pinchas Wallerstein | 1979 | 2008 |
| Avi Roeh[5] | 2008 | 2018 |
| Israel Ganz | 2018 | Incumbent |
References
edit- ^ "Psagot - Local Authority Details" (in Hebrew). Israeli Ministry of the Interior. Archived from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved January 8, 2009.
- ^ Tovah Lazaroff (February 3, 2023). "Israel shores up West Bank settlements after Netanyahu's Paris visit". The Jerusalem Post.
- ^ Jacob Magid (June 20, 2017). "Ground broken for first new West Bank settlement in 25 years". Times of Israel.
- ^ Craig S. Smith (December 29, 2003). "Israel Orders the Evacuation of Four Unauthorized Outposts". The New York Times.
- ^ "Avi Roeh Chosen to Lead Binyamin Region". Israel National News. November 28, 2007. Retrieved November 28, 2007.