El Matan | |
|---|---|
  El Matan | |
| Coordinates: 32°09′04″N 35°04′31″E / 32.15111°N 35.07528°E | |
| District | Judea and Samaria Area |
| Council | Shomron |
| Region | West Bank |
| Founded | 2000 |
| Founded by | Religious youths |
El Matan ( Hebrew: אל מתן, lit. 'Towards Matan' or 'God's Gift') is an illegal Israeli outpost in the West Bank on the lands of the Palestinian village of Wad Qana, [1] located around a kilometer south of Ma'ale Shomron, under the jurisdiction of the Shomron Regional Council. The outpost was established in 2000 on the Wadi Qana Nature reserve — one of the largest and most important such reserves in the West Bank [2] — by a group of religious youths from the nearby settlements of ( Karnei Shomron and Ma'ale Shomron). [3] It is home to an estimated population of 48 (2008), [4] around 16 families and a small number of singles, both religious and non-religious Jews. El Matan is considered an unauthorized outpost by the Israeli government and is illegal under Israeli law. [5] The international community does not differentiate between Israeli outposts and Israeli settlements authorized by the Israeli government. [6] The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, though the Israeli government disputes this. [7] [8]
A synagogue erected on the site was closed down for lacking a building permit from the authorities in the Israeli Civil Administration. [9] On 2 October 2014, Haaretz carried notification of a master plan envisaging the confiscation from Wad Qana, an area farmed by Palestinians, of 100 dunams of land for the El Matan outpost. [1]
References
- ^ a b 'The occupation puts hand on 100 dunums to expand the outpost of El Matan in Wad Qana ,' Archived 2014-12-26 at the Wayback Machine POICA 2 October 2010.
- ^ Zafrir Rinat, 'Outposts blossom in W. Bank nature reserves,' Haaretz 16 January 2004.
- ^ "Elmatan". Peace Now. Archived from the original on 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2011-03-29.
- ^ "Outposts list". Peace Now. Archived from the original on 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2011-03-29.
- ^ "Court freezes construction in West Bank outpost". Ynetnews. May 26, 2009. Retrieved 2011-03-29.
- ^ Weiss, Mark. Israeli body to examine legalising outposts Irish Times. 12 October 2011
- ^ The Geneva Convention BBC News. 10 December 2009
- ^ Annan hopeful over Mid-East peace BBC News. 14 March 2005
- ^ Aviad Glickman, 'Agreement: Settlers to seal El Matan synagogue,' Ynet 4 November 2010.