Yakir (Hebrew: יַקִּיר) is an Israeli settlement in the West Bank, 15 kilometers (9.3 mi) southwest of the Palestinian city of Nablus, near Revava and Nofim, on Road 5066, roughly between Barkan and Karnei Shomron. Organised as a community settlement founded in February 1981 on lands that the Israeli government expropriated from the nearby Palestinian village of Deir Istiya, it sits at 420 metres above sea level and is under the jurisdiction of Shomron Regional Council. In 2022, it had a population of 2,586.

Yakir
יַקִּיר
Village emblem
Village emblem
Etymology: Dear, Darling
Yakir is located in the Northern West Bank
Yakir
Yakir
Coordinates: 32°9′1″N 35°6′55″E / 32.15028°N 35.11528°E / 32.15028; 35.11528
DistrictJudea and Samaria Area
CouncilShomron
RegionWest Bank
AffiliationAmana
Founded1981
Population
 (2022)[1]
2,586

The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.[2]

Etymology

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The name is taken from a passage in the Book of Jeremiah (31:20) 'Is Ephraim a darling (yakir) son unto Me?'"[3][4]

History

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According to ARIJ, Israel confiscated 659 dunams of land from the nearby Palestinian village of Deir Istiya in order to construct Yakir.[5]

The settlement was established in 1981. As of 2013, the property was being developed to accommodate a growing need for housing in the town.[6]

In March 2013, a stone-throwing attack on traffic in the neighbouring village of Kif el-Hares led to the injury of a child, Adele Biton, who later died of her injuries. [7][8]

On June 5th 2024, settlers from Yakir and neighbouring Novim bulldozed Palestinian land to create a fenced buffer zone as part of the Israel-Hamas war. [9]

References

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  1. ^ "Regional Statistics". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  2. ^ "The Geneva Convention". BBC News. 10 December 2009. Archived from the original on 12 May 2019. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
  3. ^ Carta's Official Guide to Israel and Complete Gazetteer to all Sites in the Holy Land. (3rd edition 1993) Jerusalem, Carta, p.473 , ISBN 965-220-186-3
  4. ^ Bitan, Hanna: 1948-1998: Fifty Years of 'Hityashvut': Atlas of Names of Settlements in Israel, Jerusalem 1999, Carta, p.29, ISBN 965-220-423-4 (in Hebrew)
  5. ^ Deir Istiya Town Profile Archived 2018-02-20 at the Wayback Machine, ARIJ, p. 18
  6. ^ "US knew of settlement construction plans". 31 October 2013. Archived from the original on 31 October 2013. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  7. ^ "Toddler dies two years after stone-throwing incident left her critically injured". Haaretz. 17 February 2015. Archived from the original on 29 April 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  8. ^ "Israeli Girl Injured in Palestinian Rock-Throwing Attack in 2013 Dies". The New York Times. 17 February 2013. Archived from the original on 29 July 2017. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  9. ^ "Israeli settlers raze Palestinian lands in occupied West Bank". al Jazeera. 5 June 2024. Archived from the original on 6 June 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
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