Kfar Etzion is an Israeli settlement in the West Bank, organized as a religious kibbutz located in the Judean Hills between Jerusalem and Hebron in the southern West Bank, established in 1927, depopulated in 1948 and re-established in 1967. It is located 4.7 km east of the Green Line and falls under the jurisdiction of Gush Etzion Regional Council. In 2022, Kfar Etzion had a population of 1,371.
Kfar Etzion
Kfar Etzion water tank, 1943
Kfar Etzion (Kefir 'Etsyon) 1945, 1:250,000
Kfar Etzion 1945
Israeli settlements, also called Israeli colonies, are the civilian communities built by Israel throughout the Israeli-occupied territories. They are populated by Israeli citizens, almost exclusively of Jewish identity or ethnicity, and were built on lands occupied by Israel since the Six-Day War in 1967. The international community considers Israeli settlements to be illegal under international law, but Israel disputes this. The expansion of settlements often involves the confiscation of Palestinian land and resources, leading to displacement of Palestinian communities and creating a source of tension and conflict. Settlements are often protected by the Israeli military and are frequently flashpoints for violence against Palestinians. Further, the presence of settlements and Jewish-only bypass roads creates a fragmented Palestinian territory, seriously hindering economic development and freedom of movement for Palestinians.
Golan Heights settlements (1992)
Israeli soldiers searching a Palestinian in Tel Rumeida, 2012
Israeli settlers in the Ofra settlement, Israeli-occupied West Bank, 2012
Settlement area in the Gaza Strip (March 1999)