Yafit

Yafit
Yafit is located in the Central West Bank
Yafit
Yafit
Coordinates: 32°3′41″N 35°28′27″E / 32.06139°N 35.47417°E / 32.06139; 35.47417
DistrictJudea and Samaria Area
CouncilBik'at HaYarden
RegionWest Bank
AffiliationMoshavim Movement
Founded1980
Founded byIsraeli civilians
Population
 (2022)[1]
225

Yafit (Hebrew: יַפִית, lit. 'Beautiful') is an Israeli settlement organized as a moshav shitufi in the West Bank.[2] Located in the Jordan Valley, it falls under the jurisdiction of Bik'at HaYarden Regional Council.[2] In 2022 it had a population of 225.

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

History

According to ARIJ, in 1980 Israel confiscated 1,294 dunams of land from the Palestinian village of Al-Jiftlik in order to construct Yafit.[4]

Yafit was built in the 1980s on a plot of rocky land in the Jordan Valley by Israelis attracted by the beauty of the desert.[5] It was named after Yossi Yafa, an IDF commander. In 1992 the founders were joined by immigrants from Russia. In the 1990s, it was one of the largest communities in the valley and a cultural and educational center. Due to drive-by shootings by Palestinians on Route 90, which passes the mountain where the New Testament says Jesus was tempted by the devil, many residents have left.[5]

References

  1. ^ "Regional Statistics". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  2. ^ a b "יפית".
  3. ^ "The Geneva Convention". BBC News. 10 December 2009. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
  4. ^ Al Jiftlik Village Profile p. 17, ARIJ
  5. ^ a b "Israelis drawn by beauty flee Jordan valley violence". Baltimore Sun. 17 October 2001.