Kokhav HaShahar כּוֹכַב הַשַּׁחַר |
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Coordinates: 31°57′36.00″N 35°20′52.80″E / 31.9600000°N 35.3480000°ECoordinates: 31°57′36.00″N 35°20′52.80″E / 31.9600000°N 35.3480000°E | |
District | Judea and Samaria Area |
Council | Mateh Binyamin |
Region | West Bank |
Affiliation | Amana |
Founded | 1979 |
Population (2015) | 1,945 |
Name meaning | Morning Star |
Kokhav HaShahar (Hebrew: כּוֹכַב הַשַּׁחַר, also spelt Kochav Shachar and Kochav HaShachar, trans. Morning Star) is a communal Israeli settlement in the Binyamin region of northern West Bank. Located on a mountain ridge overlooking the Jordan Valley, and accessible via the Allon Road, it falls under the municipal jurisdiction of Mateh Binyamin Regional Council. In 2015 it had a population of 1,945.
The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.
Kokhav HaShahar was founded by nine young couples in 1979 on the site of an Israel Defense Forces outpost.
Maoz Esther, north of Kokhav HaShahar and east of Ramallah, was an outpost established in 2005 by Kokhav HaShahar residents in memory of Ester Galia of Kokhav HaShahar who was murdered at Rimonim junction. The Israel Police destroyed the settlement's seven huts in May 2009.After settlers attempted to rebuild the outpost, it was demolished again on 13 October 2010.