Nili, Mateh Binyamin

Nili, 2014

Nili (Hebrew: נִילִ"י) is an Israeli settlement organized as a communal settlement in the West Bank located east of Modi'in, a few hundred metres from the Palestinian village of Deir Qaddis, 3.8 kilometres east of the Green line.[1] The mainly secular Jewish community with a population of 846 (2009) was established in 1981. It falls under the jurisdiction of the Mateh Binyamin Regional Council.[2]

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

The settlement was named after the Jewish espionage network NILI, an acronym of a phrase נצח ישראל לא ישקר (I Samuel 15:29; transliteration: Netzakh Yisrael Lo Yishaker, literal translation: "The Eternal One of Israel does not lie"), which assisted the United Kingdom in its fight against the Ottoman Empire in the Land of Israel during World War I.[4]

The land the settlement is built on was defined as state land, but residents of the village of Deir Qaddis claim the land was theirs and that they have documents to prove it. In December 2010, a request they filed to halt construction to expand the settlement of Nili was denied by the Supreme Court of Israel. Adopting a nonviolent tactic, residents of Deir Qaddis have organized daily marches to Nili. In June 2011, after a group of young Palestinians clashed with Israeli soldiers, army jeeps were stationed in the area to prevent the Palestinian villagers from entering the settlement.[5]

References

  1. ↑ "Settlements List: Nili". www.peacenow.org.il. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
  2. ↑ "Settlements List". www.peacenow.org.il. Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
  3. ↑ "The Geneva Convention". BBC News. 10 December 2009. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
  4. ↑ Bitan, Hanna: 1948-1998: Fifty Years of 'Hityashvut': Atlas of Names of Settlements in Israel, Jerusalem 1999, Carta, p.47, ISBN 965-220-423-4 (Hebrew)
  5. ↑ Chaim Levinson (June 24, 2011). "Residents of West Bank village demand return of land from nearby settlement". Haaretz. Retrieved June 24, 2011.

External links

Coordinates: 31°57′49.17″N 35°2′51.01″E / 31.9636583°N 35.0475028°E / 31.9636583; 35.0475028

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