- Otniel
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Otniel 
Hesder Yeshiva in OtnielHebrew עָתְנִיאֵל Name meaning Named for Othniel Ben Kenaz Founded 1983 Council Har Hebron Region West Bank Coordinates 31°26′23″N 35°01′44″E / 31.43972°N 35.02889°ECoordinates: 31°26′23″N 35°01′44″E / 31.43972°N 35.02889°E 
OtnielOtniel (Hebrew: עָתְנִיאֵל) is a Jewish Orthodox Israeli settlement in the southern Judean hills, south of Hebron in the West Bank. It is under the jurisdiction of the Har Hebron Regional Council. Approximately 110 families live in Otniel. The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.[1]
Otniel, named in honor of the first biblical judge Othniel Ben Kenaz, was founded in 1983.[2] Otniel is south of Beit Hagai and north of Shim'a and the Palestinian village of Samu'a.
A major feature of the village is the Hesder Yeshiva, Yeshivat Otniel, co-headed by the Rabbis Binyamin Kalmanzon and Re'em HaCohen, who also serves as the village's Rabbi. A new program has been opened in the yeshiva bringing students from places such as Australia, Poland and the US.
Otniel also has a barn, in an attempt to maintain a self-sustaining Jewish agricultural life in Southern Mount Hevron.
Four students from Yeshivat Otniel were killed and ten wounded in a December 2002 terrorist attack.[3][4][5] In another terror attack on the road leading to Otniel, one of the teachers in the yeshiva was shot and killed while driving.[citation needed]
On November 10, 2011, an Otniel resident was killed and two injured when Israel Defense Forces soldiers fired on their speeding car when they suspected a possible terrorist attack. The car had been heading along Highway 60 towards the Cave of the Patriarchs in the early morning. A guard in the settlement of Beit Hagai had noticed a suspicious vehicle and notified personnel in the settlement's security room, who identified the vehicle as it turned eastward. A nearby IDF unit was then informed of a suspicious car heading its way. Two soldiers were setting up a makeshift roadblock when they saw the car approaching. The soldiers signalled it to stop with flashlights, and fired two warning shots into the air. The car raced past them at high speed, and according to an initial probe, the darkness made it difficult to see whether the car matched the description of the suspicious car. The car was also driving with its lights off, which made it more difficult for the driver to see the soldiers. A soldier then fired eight bullets into the car. Rabbi Dan Martzbach, 55, was killed. Mazal Ben-Ami was lightly injured, and Carmela Trablesi was moderately wounded. The shooting soldier was lightly injured when a passing Palestinian truck hit him as spoke with Carmela.[6][7][8]
References
- ^ "The Geneva Convention". BBC News. 10 December 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1682640.stm. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
- ^ Otniel, a religious settlement in the central Har Hebron region
- ^ Haaretz - "IDF kills hebron area jihad leader
- ^ Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- ^ JPost - "Four slain, 10 wounded in attack on Otniel yeshiva"
- ^ http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4147015,00.html
- ^ http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4146864,00.html
- ^ http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4147087,00.html
External links
Moshavim Communal settlements Adora · Abigail · Beit Hagai · Eshkolot · Livne (Shani) · Ma'ale Hever · Negohot · Otniel · Sansana · Shim'a · Susya · Telem · Teneh OmarimOutposts Categories:- Har Hebron Regional Council
- Religious Israeli settlements
- Populated places established in 1983
- Israel geography stubs
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