Alfei Menashe

Alfei Menashe (Hebrew: אַלְפֵי מְנַשֶׁה‎, Arabic: ألفي منشيه‎, , lit. Thousands of Manasseh) is an Israeli settlement located in the seam zone[2] on the western edge of the central West Bank. Its name is taken from the bible (Deuteronomy 33:17). It was granted local council status in 1987. In 2019 its population was 7,952.

Alfei Menashe

  • אַלְפֵי מְנַשֶׁה‎‎
  • ألفي منشيه‎
Local council (from 1987)
Hebrew transcription(s)
 • ISO 259ʔalpei Mnašše
 • Also spelledAlfe Menashe (official)
Alfei Menashe
Coordinates: 32°10′N 35°1′E
RegionWest Bank
DistrictJudea and Samaria Area
Founded1983
Government
 • Head of MunicipalityShy Rosenzweig
Area
 • Total4,616 dunams (4.616 km2 or 1.782 sq mi)
Population
 (2019)[1]
 • Total7,952
 • Density1,700/km2 (4,500/sq mi)
Name meaningThousands of the tribe of Manasseh

The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.[3]

History

The town's proximity to the Green Line (less than 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) east) and its similar proximity to the Palestinian Arab town of Qalqilyah has made its inclusion on the Israeli side of the West Bank barrier controversial, especially as the looping nature of the barrier's path forms a quasi-enclave of some Palestinian villages to its south. In September 2005, Israel's Supreme Court ruled that the government must consider re-routing the barrier in this area. Work was begun in the summer of 2009 to construct a new route for the barrier, which will no longer incorporate the Palestinian village of Ras al-Tira (and several other villages) on the Israeli side. The work was finished in 2011. (source: Google Earth)

The settlement is the hometown of Israel's most successful mixed martial artist Noad Lahat.

View from high point of Alfei Menashe, showing the nearness of the separation barrier (right) as of 2006

References
  1. "Population in the Localities 2019" (XLS). Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  2. "More Housing Units: New Tenders in Israeli West Bank Settlements". ARIJ (Applied Research Institute - Jerusalem. 2006-10-04. Archived from the original on 2011-05-19. Retrieved 2007-07-13.
  3. "The Geneva Convention". BBC News. 10 December 2009. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
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