Rimonim

For other uses, see Rimonim (disambiguation).

Rimonim (Hebrew: רִמּוֹנִים, רימונים), is an Israeli settlement in the West Bank. Located on the Allon Road, about a twenty-minute drive north-east from Jerusalem, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Binyamin Regional Council. In 2022 it had a population of 707.^[1]

Rimonim רִמּוֹנִים‎
Rimonim
Coordinates: 31°56′03″N 35°20′24″E
District	Judea and Samaria Area
Council	Mateh Binyamin
Region	West Bank
Affiliation	Agricultural Union
Founded	1977
Founded by	Nahal
Population  (2022)[1]	707

The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.^[2]

Etymology

The village is named after the biblical Rock of Rimmon (present-day Rammun). The name comes from the Book of Judges: "But six hundred men turned and fled toward the wilderness unto the rock of Rimmon, and abode in the rock of Rimmon four months" (Judges, 20:47).

History

In 1977 the Israeli settlement of Rimonim was built immediately adjacent to the archaeological site of Khirbet el-Kiliya.

According to ARIJ, Israel confiscated 393 dunam of land from the nearby Palestinian town of Taybeh in order to construct Rimonim in 1977.^[3]

Rimonim was established in 1977 (20 Shevat 5737) as a temporary pioneer Nahal military outpost. Three years later in 1980 (on 4 Tishrei 5741), it moved to the current location, demilitarized and turned over to residential purposes non-religious Jewish Israelis with help from the Amana settlement organization. In the mid-2000s the village allowed religious Jews to move in. Until then, it had been almost exclusively secular in nature.^{[citation needed]}

Services provided include a synagogue and mikveh, a half-Olympic sized swimming pool, post office, nursery, kindergarten, library, basketball court, and youth centre.^{[citation needed]}

At the edge of town, there is a look-out point, from which one can view the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea.^{[citation needed]}

Archaeology

The settlement includes the ancient Roman and Byzantine ruins of Khirbet el-Kiliya,^[4][5] including a coenobium-type monastery built in a Late Roman period fortress.^[6]

Notable residents

• Amihai Eliyahu (born 1979), Otzma Yehudit politician; Minister of Heritage since 2022^[7]