Loading AI tools
An Israeli regional council in the northern West Bank From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Shomron Regional Council (Hebrew: מועצה אזורית שומרון, Mo'atza Azorit Shomron, English Samaria Regional Council) is an Israeli regional council in the northern portion of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Thirty-five Israeli settlements fall under its jurisdiction.[2] As of December 2020 the jurisdiction area of the council has a population of about 47,200 people.[3] The main offices are located in the Barkan Industrial Park.
Shomron Regional Council
מועצה אזורית שומרון | |
|---|---|
| |
 | |
 | |
| Country | Israel |
| District | Judea and Samaria Area |
| Region | West Bank |
Area | 2,800,000 dunams (2,800 km2 or 1,100 sq mi) |
| Population (2019)[1] | 45,810 |
| • Density | 16/km2 (42/sq mi) |
| Website | www |
The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.[4]
Covering 2,800 square kilometers of the West Bank, it was, prior to the fall of 2005 when some of its municipal land was abandoned as part of Israel's unilateral disengagement plan, the largest Israeli regional council in municipal area.
In August 2015, Yossi Dagan was elected to position of Chairman of Shomron Regional Council, with 62% of the vote.[5]
The municipal area of the Council spreads across 2,800 square kilometers, which corresponds to about 10 percent of the area of the State of Israel within the Green Line. In municipal area, Shomron Regional Council is among the largest Israeli authorities.
The municipal boundaries:
The Council is divided into geographic regions, where each region has its own characteristics:[6]
The local government and residents of Shomron opened the region to local and international tourism. Boutique wineries,[7] organic farms, historical and biblical sites have developed into tourism attractions. The Jewish Shepherd at Kfar Tapuach, the Barkan Industrial park and hiking tails in the scenic natural reserve at attracting tourists from around the world. Israel's Minister of Tourism Yariv Levin was quoted saying: "I strongly believe in the tourism potential of Samaria. I can tell you from personal experience that I visited Samaria many times, and it might very well be the most beautiful region in Israel".[8]
On September 12, 2016, the Town of Hempstead in New York signed a Declaration of Cooperation with the Shomron Regional Council in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, as part of an effort to counter the BDS movement.[9][10] Council Chairman Yossi Dagan, Town Supervisor Anthony Santino, Councilmen Bruce Blakeman, Anthony D'Esposito, and Edward Ambrosino signed the document.
The largest settlement in the Shomron Regional Council today is Sha'arei Tikva, numbering over 5,500 residents.
During the implementation of Israel's unilateral disengagement plan of August/September 2005, the residents of four of the Shomron Regional Council's settlements were evicted, their residential buildings destroyed, and land abandoned to the Palestinians, including territory outlined in the Oslo Accords as Area 'C' in full Israeli control.
In northern Shomron:
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.
