Immanuel (town)
Immanuel
|
||
|---|---|---|
| Hebrew transcription(s) | ||
| • ISO 259 | ʕimmanuˀel | |
| • Translit. | Imanu'el | |
Headquarters of Immanuel Local Council
|
||
|
||
 Immanuel
|
||
| Coordinates: 32°9′42.71″N 35°8′13.98″E / 32.1618639°N 35.1372167°ECoordinates: 32°9′42.71″N 35°8′13.98″E / 32.1618639°N 35.1372167°E | ||
| Region | West Bank | |
| District | Judea and Samaria Area | |
| Government | ||
| • Type | Local council | |
| • Head of Municipality | Ezra Gershi | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 2,750 dunams (2.75 km2 or 1.06 sq mi) | |
| Population (2015) | ||
| • Total | 3,253 | |
| Name meaning | God is with us | |
Immanuel, (Hebrew: עִמָּנוּאֵל) also spelled Emmanuel or Emanuel, is an Israeli settlement organized as a local council located in the West Bank. Immanuel was established in 1983. In 2015 it had a population of 3,253; its jurisdiction is spread out over 2,750 dunams (2.75 km²).
The international community considers Immanuel along with all other Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.
Following its founding in 1983, Immanuel was declared a local council in 1985. It was named after the symbolic child's name in Isaiah 7:14.
Its first head of council was Oded Alon. Immanuel's current head of council is Yeshayahu Ehrenreich, while its acting mayor is Ezra Gershi.
In the 1990s, Immanuel was undergoing a major expansion, but the Oslo Accords discouraged investors and construction firms from continuing to build. As a result, a major portion of present-day Immanuel consists of unfinished steel structures and concrete. Land value is also extremely low, often four to six times lower than in central Israeli towns and cities.
While Immanuel has a modest light industrial area which provides work for Israelis and Palestinians, there are otherwise not many more local career opportunities that are not related to education or Torah study; therefore many of its residents commute to nearby Ariel, Jerusalem and Bnei Brak for employment. The town is served by a public transportation route run by the Dan Bus Company.
The international community considers Israeli settlements including Immanuel, to be in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention's prohibition on the transfer of an occupying power's civilian population into occupied territory. Israel disputes that the Fourth Geneva Convention applies to the West Bank region as it had not been legally held by a sovereign nation prior to Israel taking control of it. This view has been rejected by the International Court of Justice and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
...
Wikipedia