Shvut Rachel

Panorama of Shvut Rachel as seen from Shilo

Shvut Rachel (Hebrew: שבות רחל) is a former Israeli settlement in the West Bank, retroactively designated a neighborhood of the settlement of Shilo, in the West Bank. Shvut Rachel sits between the Palestinian villages of Turmus Ayya,[1] Qaryut and Jalud, part of whose lands were expropriated for building Shvut Rachel. 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.[2] 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.[3]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "The Geneva Convention". BBC News. 10 December 2009. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
  3. ^ Naomi Zeveloff,'Of Olives, Politics and Palestinians:One Man's Harvest Is Another's Freedom Struggle,' The Forward 16 November 2014.