Ofra
עֹפְרָה | |
|---|---|
 Ofra taken from Givat Zvi | |
  Ofra  Ofra  Ofra | |
| Coordinates: 31°57′20″N 35°15′37″E / 31.95556°N 35.26028°E | |
| District | Judea and Samaria Area |
| Council | Mateh Binyamin |
| Region | West Bank |
| Founded | 1975 |
| Founded by | Gush Emunim |
| Population (2022)[1] | 3,497 |
| Website | www.ofra.org.il |
Ofra (Hebrew: עֹפְרָה) is an Israeli settlement located in the northern Israeli-occupied West Bank. Located on the main road between Jerusalem and Nablus (Route 60), it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Binyamin Regional Council. In 2022 it had a population of 3,497.
The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law.[2] According to human rights organization B'Tselem, the state of Israel itself acknowledges that much of the Ofra civilian settlement is built on privately owned Palestinian land, which is unlawful according to Israeli law.[3]
In August 2016, the military governorate admitted to the Israeli High Court of Justice that a large portion of Ofra, totalling 45 dunams, was built on land privately owned by Palestinians prior to the occupation, including areas "located in the heart of the settlement".[4] Following the ruling of the High Court that Israeli homes in this area were illegal, the state has undertaken steps with the goal of restituting the land back to its private Palestinian owners. Following the successful effort to demolish the settlement of Amona, Silwad mayor Abdul Rahman Saleh signaled that he would petition the High Court on behalf of Ofra landowners with the goal of evicting Israeli settlers there. Considering the Jordanian military base which existed there, he accepted the presence of Israeli soldiers.[5]
- ^ "Regional Statistics". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
- ^ "The Geneva Convention". BBC News. 10 December 2009. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
- ^ 'HCJ to state: Demolish nine structures in the settlement of Ofra,' B'tselem 9 February 2015:'Unlike in other cases concerning illegal Israeli construction on Palestinian land in the West Bank, the state claimed in this petition that due to “special circumstances”, the usual priorities for enforcement of planning and building laws did not apply in this case. The “special circumstances”, the state explained, were that most structures in Ofra had been unlawfully erected on privately-owned Palestinian land, i.e. their status was almost identical to that of the nine structures under examination. The state’s problematic argument was that as almost the entire settlement of Ofra had been built on privately-owned Palestinian land, there was no justification to demolish those particular nine structures – although they were new and the petition was filed before they were completed.'
- ^ "Israel admits it erred in using private Palestinian land for settlement homes".
- ^ TOI live blog Feb 2 2017 21:34