Breein1007 (talk | contribs) removing (again) weasel words that i kindly asked the user to avoid in the talk page, removing (again) repeated sentence, and re-adding valid sourced info that was removed with no explanation. |
Breein1007 (talk | contribs) technically not part of east jerusalem by definition |
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{{otheruses1|the Jerusalem neighborhood}} |
{{otheruses1|the Jerusalem neighborhood}}. |
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[[File:GilostreetS.jpg|thumb|250px|Street in Gilo]] |
[[File:GilostreetS.jpg|thumb|250px|Street in Gilo]] |
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'''Gilo''' ({{lang-he|גילֹה}}) is a residential area |
'''Gilo''' ({{lang-he|גילֹה}}) is a residential area on the southwestern outskirts of [[Jerusalem]]<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/11/17/jerusalem.settlements/index.html]</ref>, considered an illegal [[Israeli Settlement|settlement]] by the [[United Nations]] and [[European Union]] but a neighborhood within the municipality of [[Jerusalem]] by [[Israel]], the [[United States]], and other media outlets.<ref>[http://www.mjtimes.sk.ca/Canada---World/Society/2009-11-17/article-194926/Palestinians,-Britain,-US-criticize-Israeli-plan-to-expand-Jerusalem-Jewish-neighbourhood/1]</ref><ref>[http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1258489195491&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull]</ref><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/middle_east/1492350.stm Spotlight: Why is Gilo so important?] BBC. 16 August, 2001.</ref><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1522521.stm Two die in Hebron clashes] BBC. 3 September, 2001</ref><ref>United Nations Security Council Resolution 465 called Israeli settlements in the West Bank, "including Jerusalem", "flagrant violations of international law", while Resolution 478 declared Israel's [[Jerusalem Law]] null and void. The United States did not vote in support of the resolution, and Congress passed the [[Jerusalem Embassy Act]] stating that "Jerusalem should be recognized as the capital of the State of Israel". http://www.un.org/documents/sc/res/1980/scres80.htm</ref> Gilo has a population of 40,000, making it one of Jerusalem's largest suburbs.<ref>[http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull&cid=1196847346884] Jerusalem Post</ref> Plans to expand Gilo have drawn criticism from the United States and United Kingdom, while Israel has maintained that it has the right to expand freely in Gilo because it is part of the municipality of Jerusalem, and a separate issue from [[West Bank]] settlements.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2009/11/18/world/international-uk-palestinians-israel.html?scp=2&sq=gilo&st=cse]</ref><ref>[http://www.mjtimes.sk.ca/Canada---World/Society/2009-11-17/article-194926/Palestinians,-Britain,-US-criticize-Israeli-plan-to-expand-Jerusalem-Jewish-neighbourhood/1]</ref><ref>[http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1258489195491&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull]</ref><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/middle_east/1492350.stm Spotlight: Why is Gilo so important?] BBC. 16 August, 2001.</ref><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1522521.stm Two die in Hebron clashes] BBC. 3 September, 2001</ref> |
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==History== |
==History== |
Revision as of 04:09, 20 November 2009
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Gilo (Hebrew: גילֹה) is a residential area on the southwestern outskirts of Jerusalem[1], considered an illegal settlement by the United Nations and European Union but a neighborhood within the municipality of Jerusalem by Israel, the United States, and other media outlets.[2][3][4][5][6] Gilo has a population of 40,000, making it one of Jerusalem's largest suburbs.[7] Plans to expand Gilo have drawn criticism from the United States and United Kingdom, while Israel has maintained that it has the right to expand freely in Gilo because it is part of the municipality of Jerusalem, and a separate issue from West Bank settlements.[8][9][10][11][12]
History
During the 1948 War, the Egyptian army positioned its artillery at Gilo, heavily shelling West Jerusalem. An attempt to advance on Jerusalem from Gilo was beaten back in a fierce battle. Kibbutz Ramat Rachel, located just north of Gilo, changed hands three times, ultimately remaining part of Israel, but Gilo remained on the other side of the Green Line until 1967. [13]
Some of the land was owned by Jewish institutions prior to the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, although a Palestinian source states that more than 2,700 dunams of land were confiscated from Beit Jala, Beit Safafa and Sharafat.[14][15]
Geography
Gilo is located on a hilltop in southwest Jerusalem, separated from Beit Jalla by a deep gorge. The Tunnels Highway to Gush Etzion runs underneath it on the east, and the settlement of Har Gilo is visible on the adjacent peak. Beit Safafa and Sharafat are located north of Gilo, while Bethlehem is to the south.[16]
Biblical Gilo
The biblical town of Gilo is mentioned in the Book of Joshua (Joshua 15:51) and the Book of Samuel (II Sam 15:12).[17] Some scholars believe that biblical Gilo was located in the central Hebron Hills, whereas the name of the modern settlement was chosen because of its proximity to Beit Jala, possibly a corruption of Gilo.[18] A city in the southwest part of the hill-country of Judah (Josh. 15:51), Gilo was the birthplace of Ahithophel "the Gilonite" (Josh. 15:51; 2 Sam. 15:12), and the place where he committed suicide (17:23). Gilo has been identified with Kurbet Jala, about 7 miles north of Hebron.[19]
Status
Gilo is located over the 1967 Green Line. It is considered to be an illegal settlement built on occupied land by the United Nations and European Union. [20][21] According to HonestReporting (a watchdog organisation that monitors the media for what it considers bias against Israel), Gilo is not a "settlement" in the most widespread sense of the term, which HonestReporting states "can conjure up images of isolated enclaves in the West Bank". Gilo lies within Jerusalem's municipal boundaries and is geographically contiguous to surrounding Jewish neighborhoods that pre-dated the Six Day War. Some media outlets, including The New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, Associated Press, Boston Globe and CBS News, have described Gilo as a "neighborhood".[22] A CNN memorandum to its staff stated that "We refer to Gilo as a 'Jewish neighborhood on the outskirts of Jerusalem'... We don't refer to it as a settlement."[23] The United States government also refrains from classifying Gilo and other East Jerusalem locales as settlements, instead referring to them as neighborhoods.[24] Palestinians and pro-Palestinian media watch groups feel this is not accurate.[25] Other media outlets such as the BBC, AFP, Reuters and the Economist describe Gilo as a "settlement".[22]
Shooting incidents
Between 2000-2002, during the first two years of the Second Intifada, there were over 400 shooting incidents targeting Gilo from Beit Jala.[26] Although Beit Jalla is predominantly Christian, it was infiltrated by Fatah's Tanzim gunmen, who purportedly positioned themselves in or near Christian homes and churches in the knowledge that a slight deviation in Israeli return fire would harm Christian buildings.[27]
Andreas Reinecke, head of the German Liaison office to the Palestinian Authority, protested:
I would like to draw your attention in this letter to a number of incidents which occurred at "Talitakoumi" school in Beit Jala...which is funded mainly by the Protestant Church in Berlin. Over the last few days the school staff noticed attempts on the part of several armed Palestinians to use the school premises and some of its gardens for their activities. If they succeed in doing this, an Israeli reaction will be inevitable. This will have a negative impact on the continuation of the functioning of the school, in which no less than 1,000 [Christian] Palestinians study....You cannot imagine the kind of upheaval which will be provoked among the supporters of this school [in Germany] should they discover that the school premises are used as a battle ground.[28]
The shooting included gunfire and mortar attacks.[29] Many civilians were injured and homes facing Beit Jalla suffered extensive property damage, prompting many residents to leave. The Israeli government eventually built a cement barrier and bulletproofed the outer row of homes.[26][30] The shooting on Gilo ceased entirely only after Operation Defensive Shield.
Schools and institutions
Beit HaOr, a center for autistic children, opened in Gilo in March 2008.[31] The Ilan home for handicapped adults is located in Gilo.[32] Gilo has 35 synagogues.[33] In 2009, the Gilo community center, one of the largest in the country, introduced a new hybrid water heating system that saves energy and greatly reduces pollution.[34]
Archaeology
During the construction of Gilo, archaeologists discovered a fortress and agricultural implements from the period of the First Temple above the shopping center in Rehov Haganenet. Between Canada Hill and Gilo Park, they unearthed the remains of a farm and graves from the Second Temple period. Roman and Byzantine remains have also been found at various sites. [35]
See also
References
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ [3]
- ^ Spotlight: Why is Gilo so important? BBC. 16 August, 2001.
- ^ Two die in Hebron clashes BBC. 3 September, 2001
- ^ United Nations Security Council Resolution 465 called Israeli settlements in the West Bank, "including Jerusalem", "flagrant violations of international law", while Resolution 478 declared Israel's Jerusalem Law null and void. The United States did not vote in support of the resolution, and Congress passed the Jerusalem Embassy Act stating that "Jerusalem should be recognized as the capital of the State of Israel". http://www.un.org/documents/sc/res/1980/scres80.htm
- ^ [4] Jerusalem Post
- ^ [5]
- ^ [6]
- ^ [7]
- ^ Spotlight: Why is Gilo so important? BBC. 16 August, 2001.
- ^ Two die in Hebron clashes BBC. 3 September, 2001
- ^ A history of Jerusalem's highest neighborhood
- ^ "One more Obstacle to Peace": A new Israeli Neighborhood on the lands of Jerusalem city Applied Research Institute - Jerusalem, 10 March 2007
- ^ "Is Beit Jala burning?" Inside Israel, 4 September 2001
- ^ Arafat's media do support Jerusalem bus bombing - Likud of Holland
- ^ Gilo & Har Choma
- ^ http://www.hatzola.org.il/gilo.asp Gilo & Har Choma
- ^ Giloh (WebBible Encyclopedia) - ChristianAnswers.Net
- ^ Map of Israeli Settlements OCHA-OPT
- ^ EU rebukes Israel for Jerusalem settlement expansion (EUObserver,com, Nov. 19, 2009)
- ^ a b A stabbing in Gilo
- ^ [8]
- ^ [9]
- ^ Euphemisms for Israeli Settlements Confuse Coverage FAIR, August 2002
- ^ a b The strategic significance of Har Homa | Op-Ed Contributors | Jerusalem Post
- ^ Associated Press, as reported in Yoram Ettinger, "The Islamization of Bethlehem by Arafat," Jerusalem Cloakroom #117, Ariel Center for Policy Research, December 25, 2001.
- ^ Letter from Andreas Reinecke to Colonel Jibril Rajoub, Head of the PA Preventive Security Apparatus in the West Bank, May 5, 2002, from IDF Spokesperson, May 12, 2002.
- ^ Winter 2001 Vol. XI, No. 1 - CPT
- ^ Excerpts from Briefing by Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert on the Situation in Jerusalem Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 24 October 2000
- ^ Alut newsletter
- ^ Gilo Residence of the Ilan Foundation
- ^ Our Jerusalem: Pain and sorrow are not a sign of weakness
- ^ Hybrid water heating system to be dedicated at Gilo community center
- ^ Jerusalem neighborhoods
External links
- Ahalan, Miss Seamline: Israeli and Palestinian beauties preen for peace
- Video about Shira Negari, killed in bus attack at entrance to Gilo
- Mideast turmoil: In Jerusalem, Despair and Determination, New York Times
- The War Within East Jerusalem, Yossi Klein Halevi, New York Times
- Israeli Army Leaves Palestinian Town In West Bank After 2 Days of Tension, Clyde Haberman, New York Times
- Widening Hostilities, Israel Kills Chief of P.L.O. Faction, Joel Greenberg, New York Times
- Israeli troops won't relinquish West Bank town Michele Chabin, USA Today
- Israelis leaving Beit Jala, say Palestinians, CNN
- Israeli barrier draws artists to a cause Matthew Kalman, The Boston Globe
- To truly see Jerusalem, try varied perspectives, Steven Erlanger, San Diego Union Tribune
- School Students Heard Explosion Outside Associated Press
- Blast Hits Palestinian HQ, CBS News