Kfar HaOranim

Kfar HaOranim כְּפָר הָאֳרָנִים כפר האורנים (Hebrew)
Etymology: Village of the Pines
Kfar HaOranim Location within the Central West Bank Show map of the Central West Bank Kfar HaOranim Location within the West Bank Show map of the West Bank
Coordinates: 31°55′9″N 35°2′18″E / 31.91917°N 35.03833°E / 31.91917; 35.03833
Country	Palestine
District	Judea and Samaria Area
Council	Mateh Binyamin
Region	West Bank
Founded	1997
Founder	Amana
Population  (2024)	2,314

Kfar HaOranim (Hebrew: כְּפָר הָאֳרָנִים, lit. 'Village of the Pines'), also known as Menorah (Hebrew: מְנוֹרָה) or Giv'at Ehud, is an Israeli settlement in the West Bank. Contiguous with Lapid and located near to the major city of Modi'in, it is organised as a community settlement and falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Binyamin Regional Council. In 2024 it had a population of 2,314.

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

History

Planning for the settlement (then named Giv'at Ehud, after Ehud Ben-Amitai, a fighter pilot killed in a training accident) began in 1981.^{[citation needed]} The cornerstone was laid in 1984 at a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, by which time the name Menorah was suggested. Ultimately, the name Kfar HaOranim was accepted.^{[citation needed]} However, legal issues over the ownership of the land led to a delay in construction. The first residents moved in during October 1997.^{[citation needed]}

According to ARIJ, Israel confiscated 682 dunams of land from the Palestinian village of Saffa for the construction of Menorah/Kfar HaOranim.

Notable residents

• Moshe Edri [he], retired police officer, Director General of Knesset

References

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