Karnei Shomron

Karnei Shomron קַרְנֵי שׁוֹמְרוֹן‎ كرني شمرون
Local council
Hebrew transcription(s)
• ISO 259	Qarnei Šomron
• Also spelled	Qarne Shomron (official)
Central Synagogue
Karnei Shomron
Coordinates: 32°10′18″N 35°5′52″E
Region	West Bank
District	Judea and Samaria Area
Founded	1977
Government
• Head of Municipality	Yigal Lahav
Area
• Total	7,179 dunams (7.179 km2 or 2.772 sq mi)
Population  (2022)
• Total	9,920
• Density	1,400/km2 (3,600/sq mi)
Website	www.karneishomron.co.il

View of Nahal Kana

Karnei Shomron (Hebrew: קַרְנֵי שׁוֹמְרוֹן, lit. "Rays (of light) of Samaria") is an Israeli settlement organized as a local council established in 1977 in the West Bank, east of Kfar Saba. Karnei Shomron is located 48 kilometres (30 mi) northeast of Tel Aviv and 85 kilometres (53 mi) north of Jerusalem. In 2022 it had a population of 9,920.

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

History and archaeology

Iron Age Israelite village

Before the establishment of Karnei Shomron, a salvage excavation was held uncovering the remains of Khirbet Jema'in. The remains are of an ancient Jewish village consistant mainly of four-room houses, agricultural facilities, oil press, winepress and a deffensive wall. The villlage dates back to the Kingdom of Israel and was established during the peak of Israelite expansion in western Samaria. It is reasonable to assume that it served as residence for a family or group of families from the tribe of Manasseh. The place serves as an example of a village from the biblical ( Iron Age) period that was not destroyed by human action.

Confiscation of Palestinian land

According to ARIJ, Israel confiscated land from four nearby Palestinian villages of in order to construct Karnei Shomron:

• 713 dunams from Jinsafut,
• 512 dunams from Deir Istiya,
• 229 dunams from Kafr Laqif,
• 216 dunams from Hajjah.

Local Council neighborhoods

In 1991, several Israeli settlements were merged to become a single municipality called Karnei Shomron Local Council:

• Karnei Shomron - established in 1977, 450 families
• Ginot Shomron - established in 1984, 850 families
• Neve Menachem/Neve Oramin - established in 1991, 220 families
• Alonei Shilo - established in 1999, 25 families

Also part of Karnei Shomron are:

• Mitzpe Tzvaim
• Midreshet Shilat, a midrasha for girls;
• Ramat Gil'ad
• Neve Aliza, a religious neighborhood of American-style homes founded by new immigrants from the United States and Canada in 1985.

Nature

The town borders Wadi Qana, a wadi marking the border between lands that are believed to have been the territory of the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh (Menashe) in biblical times. Wadi Qana, Hebrew name: Nahal Kana, is administered by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and is defined as a nature reserve.

Leadership

The chief rabbi of Karnei Shomron is Yitzhak HaLevy.

Igal Lahav is the head of the Karnei Shomron Local Council.

2002 mall attack

Main article: Karnei Shomron Mall suicide bombing

During the Second Intifada, on 16 February 2002, two people were killed and 30 people were wounded, six seriously, when a suicide bomber blew himself up at a pizzeria in Ginot Shomron shopping mall in Karnei Shomron. Rachel Thaler, 16 died of her wounds on 27 February. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) claimed responsibility for the attack.

Notable residents

• Michael Ben-Ari (b. 1963), politician
• Moshe Feiglin (b. 1962), politician
• Shmuel Sackett (b. 1961), activist

External links

• Karnei Shomron website