Editing Modi'in Illit

{{Short description|Israeli settlement in the West Bank}}
{{pp-30-500|small=yes}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                   = Modi'in Illit
| native_name            = {{Hlist
 | {{Lang|he|{{Script/Hebrew|מוֹדִיעִין עִלִּית}}|rtl=yes}}
 | {{Lang|ar|موديعين عيليت|rtl=yes}}
 }}
| settlement_type        = [[List of cities in Israel|City]] (from 2008)
| image_skyline          = File:קרית ספר 5.JPG
| imagesize              = 305
| image_blank_emblem     = Coat of arms of Modiin Ilit.svg
| pushpin_map_alt        = 
| pushpin_map            = West Bank
| pushpin_mapsize        = 
| pushpin_label_position = left
| pushpin_map_caption    = 
| coordinates            = {{coord|31|55|50|N|35|2|30|E|region:IL|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type1      = Region
| subdivision_name1      = [[West Bank]]
| subdivision_type2      = [[Districts of Israel|District]]
| subdivision_name2      = 
[[Judea and Samaria Area]]
| established_title      = Founded
| established_date       = 1994
| leader_title           = Mayor
| leader_name            = Yaakov Gutterman
| unit_pref              = dunam
| area_total_dunam       = {{formatnum:4746|R}}
| population_footnotes   = {{Israel populations|reference}}
| population_total       = {{Israel populations|Modi'in Illit}}
| population_as_of       = {{Israel populations|Year}}
| population_density_km2 = auto
| blank_name_sec1        = Name meaning
| blank_info_sec1        = Upper Modi'in
}}

'''Modi'in Illit''' ({{langx|he|מוֹדִיעִין עִלִּית}}; {{langx|ar|موديعين عيليت}}, lit. "Upper Modi'in") is a [[Haredi Judaism|Haredi Jewish]]-[[Israeli settlement]] organized as a [[city council (Israel)|city council]] in the [[West Bank]], situated midway between [[Jerusalem]] and [[Tel Aviv]].

Built on the land of five Palestinian villages–[[Ni'lin]], Kharbata, [[Saffa, Ramallah|Saffa]], [[Bil'in]], and [[Dir Qadis]]<ref name="lmd">{{cite news|author=Gadi Algazi|date=August 2006|title=La Cisjordanie, nouveau " Far Est " du capitalisme israélien|language=fr|newspaper=Le Monde diplomatique|url=http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/2006/08/ALGAZI/13834|quote=Modi’in Illit est une colonie juive importante en Cisjordanie, qui occupe les terres de cinq villages palestiniens : Ni’lin, Kharbata, Saffa, Bil’in et Dir Qadis.}}</ref>–Modi'in Illit was granted city status by the [[Government of Israel|Israeli government]] in 2008. The international community has largely viewed Israeli settlements in the West Bank, referred to by Israel as Judea and Samaria, as [[International law and Israeli settlements|illegal under international law]].<ref name="BBC_GC4">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1682640.stm |title=The Geneva Convention |work=BBC News |date=10 December 2009 |access-date=27 November 2010}}</ref> However, Israel disputes this interpretation and maintains that settlements are legal and consistent with international law, citing historical, legal, and security reasons. This position has been upheld by successive Israeli governments.<ref>Gregory S. Mahler (2004). Politics and government in Israel: the maturation of a modern state. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 314. ISBN 978-0-7425-1611-3.</ref>

It is located six kilometres ({{convert|6|km|abbr=off|disp=output only}}) northeast of [[Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut]] and is often referred to as '''Kiryat Sefer''' (lit. "Book Town"), the name of its first neighborhood, established in 1994. Modi'in Illit also encompasses the neighborhood of '''Achuzat Brachfeld''' (Brachfeld Estates). In {{Israel populations|Year}}, it had a total population of {{Israel populations|Modi'in Illit}}, making it the largest [[Jewish settlers|Jewish settlement]] in the area.<ref>Bronner, Ethan and [[Isabel Kershner|Kershner, Isabel]]. [https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/27/world/middleeast/27settlers.html?pagewanted=all Unsettled; In West Bank Settlements, Sign of Hope for a Deal], NY Times, July 26, 2009.</ref><ref name="Cookp92">Cook, 2008, p. 92.</ref>

==History==
A place named Kiryat Sefer (also called Dvir) is mentioned several times in the [[Book of Joshua]] and in the [[Book of Judges]]. However, this place is situated south of [[Hebron]], and the Israeli Governmental names committee rejected calling the town Kiryat Sefer as was proposed initially, electing the name Modi'in Illit.

According to [[Applied Research Institute–Jerusalem|ARIJ]] the settlement was built on the land confiscated from several [[Palestinians|Palestinian]] villages:

*1,818 [[dunam]]s from [[Deir Qaddis]],<ref name=ARIJ17>[http://vprofile.arij.org/ramallah/pdfs/vprofile/Deir_Qaddis_vp_en.pdf Deir Qaddis Village Profile], ARIJ, p. 17</ref>
*891 dunams from [[Bil'in]],<ref>[http://vprofile.arij.org/ramallah/pdfs/vprofile/Bi'lin.pdf Bil’in Village Profile], ARIJ, p. 17</ref>
*833 dunams from [[Kharbatha Bani Harith]],<ref>[http://vprofile.arij.org/ramallah/pdfs/factsheet/Kharbatha_Bani_Harith_vp_en.pdf Kharbatha Bani Harith Village (Fact Sheet)], ARIJ</ref><ref>[http://vprofile.arij.org/ramallah/pdfs/vprofile/Kharbatha_Bani_Harith_vp_en.pdf Kharbatha Bani Harith Village Profile], ARIJ, p. 4</ref>
*384 dunams from [[Ni'lin]].<ref name=ARIJ16>[http://vprofile.arij.org/ramallah/pdfs/factsheet/Ni'lin_vp_en.pdf Ni’lin Town (Fact Sheet)], ARIJ, pp. 16–17</ref>

The barrier surrounding the city divides the nearby village of [[Bil'in]] from most of its olive groves and other agricultural land and is the subject of the documentary ''[[5 Broken Cameras]]''. The homes in Kiryat Sefer were completed in 1994, and the local council of Modi'in Illit was given city status on March 7, 2008.{{citation needed|date=August 2013}} In keeping with its name, which means "Book Town," most of Kiryat Sefer's streets are named after a landmark ''[[Sefer (Hebrew)|sefer]]'' (book) written by ''[[Gadol|Gedolei Yisrael]]''. These include: ''[[Yisrael Meir Kagan|Chofetz Chaim]]'', ''[[Yechezkel Landau|Noda BiYehuda]]'', ''[[Meir Simcha of Dvinsk|Meshech Chochma]]'', ''[[Avrohom Bornsztain|Avnei Nezer]]'', and ''[[Chaim Hezekiah Medini|Sdei Chemed]]''.

==Geography and climate==
Situated in the [[West Bank]], north of [[Modi'in]], Modi'in Illit lies {{convert|2.3|km|mi}} from the [[Green Line (Israel)|Green Line]], and {{convert|5|km|mi}} from the [[Route 443 (Israel)|443 highway]]. Located in the foothills of the [[Judean Mountains]] 286 meters (938&nbsp;feet) above sea level, Modi'in Illit has mild winters and hot, dry summers with temperatures averaging {{convert|30|°C|0|abbr=on}} during the day. Modi'in Illit's immediate neighbors are [[moshav]] [[Matityahu, Mateh Binyamin|Matityahu]], Lapid, and [[Hashmonaim]].

==Archaeology==

=== Khirbet Badd ‘Isa ===
An archaeological site now known as Khirbet Badd ‘Isa was discovered during a salvage dig by the archaeology department of the Civil Administration in Modi'in Illit in 1994. The excavations eventually revealed what is believed to have been a large Jewish village from the [[Second Temple period]] with a public structure in the center, which probably served as a [[synagogue]], at least three [[Mikveh|ritual baths]], private homes (some built with [[Herodian architecture|Herodian blocks]]), an oil press, warehouses, and a collection of 145 Roman coins from the first century CE. Archaeological data indicate that the village was established during the [[Hellenistic period]] and existed up until the [[First Jewish–Roman War]] ({{circa|66–73}} CE). It was resettled by Jews who later took part in the [[Bar Kokhba revolt]] ({{circa|132–136}} CE). The site was destroyed during the revolt and remained uninhabited up until the third century. This settlement gap may mark the end of the Jewish settlement and the arrival of a new population at the area.<ref>{{Cite book |last=רביב |first=דביר |title=מחקרי יהודה ושומרון |publisher=אוניברסיטת אריאל בשומרון, מו"פ אזורי השומרון ובקעת הירדן |year=2014 |editor-last=ביליג |editor-first=מרים |volume=כג |location=אריאל |pages=165-166, 177 |language=Hebrew |chapter=היישוב היהודי בפלך תמנה משלהי ימי הבית השני ועד מרד בר-כוכבא |issn=0792-8416 |author-link=}}</ref>

The excavations at the site were first protested by the Haredi community, but after the discovery Khirbet Badd ‘Isa was designated "a heritage site for the Haredi public" in 2011, and the Israeli government contributed NIS 3 million to develop the site, with another NIS 1 million reportedly coming from the Civil Administration. According to Mod'in Illit's Mayor Yaakov Gutterman of the [[Degel HaTorah]] party, the site "will operate according to the doctrines of our forefathers, according to the Jewish historical sources presented by the Bible, the Gemara and ancient Jewish sages only [and] will be open only to the Haredi public, which will keep it a proper place for them to visit and connect to their Jewish roots, without the distortions and disruptions of other places, where there is fear of hearing false opinions."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/modi-in-ilit-mayor-secular-israelis-unwelcome-at-our-historic-sites-1.459544 |title=Modi'in Ilit mayor: Secular Israelis unwelcome at our historic sites |author=Ettinger, Yair |date=21 August 2012 |access-date=12 April 2013 |work=Haaretz}}</ref>

=== Ḥorvat Abu a-Danin ===
Another archeological site called Hurvat Abu a-Danin is located on the northern slope of Nahal Modi'im, directly south of the city's built-up area. Finkelstein surveyed the site in the 1980s, and suggested that a public building might be located in the middle of the site. In 2004 and 2005, excavations were conducted, and uncovered the ruins of a rural Jewish village from the late Second Temple period. Archeological findingsi indicate that the community was founded in the second century BCE, had its apex in the first centuries BCE and CE, and ceased to exist following the Bar Kohkba revolt. The site underwent some minor resettlement in the late Roman and Byzantine eras.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=אהרונוביץ׳ |first=יבגני |last2=Aharonovich |first2=Y. |date=2018 |title=חורבת אבו א–דנין, יישוב כפרי מסוף ימי הבית השני בשפלת לוד - Ḥorvat Abu a-Danin, a Rural Settlement of the Late Second Temple Period in the Lod Shephelah |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/26749444 |journal=Qadmoniot: A Journal for the Antiquities of Eretz-Israel and Bible Lands / קדמוניות: כתב-עת לעתיקות ארץ-ישראל וארצות המקרא |volume=נ"א |issue=155 |pages=37–41 |issn=0033-4839}}</ref>

==Demographics==
[[File:Modiin Illit sign.jpg|thumb|Welcome sign for Modi'in Illit, with the small inscription, "Haredi City of the Future". The homes of Kiryat Sefer and its water towers are in the background.]]

According to the [[Israel Central Bureau of Statistics]] (CBS), as of the end of 2009, the city had a total population of 46,200,<ref name="cbs populations">{{cite web|url=http://www.cbs.gov.il/population/new_2010/table3.pdf|publisher=[[Israel Central Bureau of Statistics]]|title=Table 3 - Population of Localities Numbering Above 2,000 Residents|date=2009-12-31|access-date=2010-11-18}}</ref> making it the largest Israeli settlement in the West Bank.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1167467697743&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull|publisher=[[The Jerusalem Post]]|title=Report: 12,400 New Settlers in 2006|author=Lazaroff, Tovah|date=January 10, 2007|access-date=2009-08-18}}</ref> The city had an annual growth rate of 13.2 percent in 2009,<ref name="cbs populations"/> due to new home construction and natural population growth. An estimated 80 percent of the population is under age 30,<ref name="profile"/> and in 2006 the city's median age stood at 10, the lowest of all Israeli municipalities.<ref name="cbs-socioeconomic"/>

{| class="wikitable" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto"
|+ Age distribution (2007)
|-
!Age!!0–4!!5–9!!10–14!!15–19!!20–29!!30–44!!45–59!!60–64!!65–74!!75+
|- align="center"
!Percentage
|28.8||19.4||8.6||4.8||19.4||14||3.3||0.6||0.7||0.4
|- align="center"
|colspan="11"|<small>Source: [[Israel Central Bureau of Statistics]]<ref name="profile">{{cite web|url=http://www.cbs.gov.il/publications/local_authorities2007/pdf/552_3797.pdf|title=Local Authorities in Israel 2007, Publication #1358 - Municipality Profiles - Modi'in Illit|publisher=Israel Central Bureau of Statistics|access-date=2009-08-15|language=he}}</ref></small>
|}

==Education==
Modi'in Illit has 30 elementary schools and 20 secondary schools (seminaries and [[yeshivas]]). Achuzat Brachfeld (Brachfeld Estates) is home to the [[Mir Brachfeld]] branch of the famous [[Mir Yeshiva (Jerusalem)|Mir Yeshiva]].

The city is home to many commercial enterprises. Because of its sizable English-speaking immigrant population, it has become a center for [[outsourcing]] by American companies. There are approximately 80 [[synagogue]]s. A significant number of men study the Torah full-time.{{citation needed|date=June 2012}}

==Local government==
[[File:Brachfeld 02.jpg|680px|right]]

Yaakov Gutterman of the [[Degel HaTorah|Degel HaTorah party]], a rabbi, is the town's mayor.{{citation needed|date=August 2013}} The first [[Local council (Israel)|head of council]] of Modi'in Illit was Yosef Schwinger, appointed by the [[Ministry of the Interior (Israel)|Ministry of the Interior]]. Yaakov Gutterman replaced him in 2002, and has been reinstated twice when he ran for election uncontested.

The [[Chief Rabbi]] and head of [[Rabbinical Court]] of Modi'in Illit is Rabbi [[Meir Kessler]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Orpaz|first1=Inbal|last2=Teig|first2=Amir|date=Jan 11, 2015|title=Religious Women in Israel Juggle High-tech Jobs and ultra-Orthodox Life|url=http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/business/.premium-1.636211|newspaper=[[Haaretz]]|access-date=Apr 26, 2016}}</ref>

==Israeli–Palestinian conflict==

===Legal status of the settlement===
[[File:Residential buildings in Modi'in Illit.JPG|thumb|Residential buildings]]

The international community considers Israeli settlements to violate the [[Fourth Geneva Convention]]'s prohibition on the transfer of an occupying power's civilian population into occupied territory and are as such illegal under [[customary international law]].<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3333727.stm The settlers' struggle] BBC News. 19 December 2003</ref> Israel disputes that the Fourth Geneva Convention applies to the Palestinian territories as they had not been legally held by a sovereign prior to Israel taking control of them. This view has been rejected by the [[International Court of Justice]] and the [[International Committee of the Red Cross]].<ref>[http://www.icj-cij.org/docket/files/131/1671.pdf Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100706021237/http://www.icj-cij.org/docket/files/131/1671.pdf |date=2010-07-06 }} International Court of Justice, 9 July 2004. pp. 44-45</ref><ref>[http://www.btselem.org/separation_barrier/international_court_decision Opinion of the International Court of Justice] B'Tselem</ref>

Modi'in Illit was granted city status in 2008, by [[Aluf]] [[Gadi Shamni]]. The Israeli [[NGO]] [[B'Tselem]] appealed the decision to the [[Ministry of Interior (Israel)|Ministry of Interior]]. B'Tselem claimed that the upgrading of Modi'in Illit's status to that of a municipality was of concern because the land on which Mod'in Illit was built was declared state land through a manipulative application of [[Mecelle|Ottoman Law]], resulting in the confiscation of lands belonging to neighbouring [[Palestinian people|Palestinian]] villages. B'Tselem also stated that the upgraded status would lead to an increase of the settler population of Modi'in Illit, and thus the change in status would be illegal. For these reasons, B'Tselem expressed "vehement opposition" to the change of status.<ref name="btselem">[http://www.btselem.org/Download/20051104_Modiin_Ilit_Letter_Eng.pdf B'Tselem's position on turning Modi'in Illit into a municipality], B'Tselem - The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, November 4, 2005.</ref> In connection with separate allegations that the city has allowed illegal construction to take place, the [[Israel Defense Forces]] told Israel's Interior Ministry in May 2008 that Modi'in Illit was "in a state of lawlessness."<ref name=Eldar>[[Akiva Eldar|Eldar, Akiva]], [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/980574.html Panel: Ultra-Orthodox settlement should be city, despite illegal construction ], ''Haaretz'', June 5, 2008.</ref>

Israel's [[West Bank Barrier]] passes just east of Modi'in Illit. The barrier's section in this area was built to separate the Modi'in bloc settlements of Mattityahu, Modi'in Illit and Hashmona'im from the Palestinian villages of Bil'in and others.<ref>[http://elyon1.court.gov.il/files_eng/05/140/084/n25/05084140.n25.pdf Judgement: Land Sequestration Order no. Tav/40/04, (Boundary Alteration), issued by the military commander for construction of the security fence on land of the Village of Bil'in, east of the settlement of Modi'in Illit]. The Supreme Court of Israel. 4 September 2007</ref> The Israeli government believes that Modi'in Illit would remain within Israeli jurisdiction in a final-status agreement with the [[Palestinians]].<ref name="jp2010-03-10">{{cite news|url=http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=170595|title='Settler population rose 4.9% in 2009'|date=2010-03-10|publisher=Jerusalem Post|access-date=17 August 2010}}</ref><ref name="bbc2009-09-07">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8241247.stm|title=Anger at Israeli settlement plan|date=2009-09-07|publisher=BBC|access-date=16 August 2010}}</ref>

=== Attack on residents ===
On the morning of 29 December 2008, a Palestinian worker who had worked in the settlement of Modi'in Illit for more than a decade attacked four Israelis, leaving one victim seriously and three others lightly wounded. He first stabbed two people for whom he was carrying out renovations in a private home on Rehov Yehuda Hanassi, wounding them lightly, and then stabbed and seriously wounded his Israeli employer who was overseeing the work. After stabbing a fourth person at a different location, he was shot and seriously wounded by a settlement security official and [[Magen David Adom]] volunteer as he attempted to flee out of the settlement. Reportedly, the assailant had been very friendly with Israelis for years. According to an Israel Police spokesperson, the stabbing was a "spontaneous" act in response to the [[Gaza War (2008–09)|aerial offensive]] on the [[Gaza Strip]] that Israel had started two days earlier.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=126688| work=The Jerusalem Post| title=Palestinian stabs 4 in Modi'in Illit| author= Siegel-Itzkovich, Judy, Lefkovits, Etgar| date=December 29, 2008| access-date= March 8, 2013}}</ref>

==Notable residents==
*[[Aryeh Finkel]], rabbi
*[[Meir Kessler]], second rabbi of Modi'in Illit
*[[Gadi Pollack]], illustrator and author
*[[Yishai Schlissel]], convicted murderer

==References==
{{Reflist|2|refs=
<ref name="cbs-socioeconomic">{{cite web|url=http://cbs.gov.il/www/publications/local_authorities06/pdf/t01.pdf|title=Table 1 – Local Councils and Municipalities – Rank, Cluster Membership, Population, Variable Values, Standardized Values and Ranking for the Variables Used in the Computation of the Index|publisher=[[Israel Central Bureau of Statistics]]|year=2006|access-date=2010-11-13}}</ref>
}}

==External links==
*[https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/27/world/middleeast/27settlers.html?pagewanted=all Unsettled - In West Bank Settlements, Sign of Hope for a Deal - New York Times (July 2009)]
* [https://www.whoprofits.org/companies/company/3722?kiryat-sefer-diur-modiin Kiryat Sefer (Diur Modi'in) - WhoProfits.org]

{{Judea and Samaria}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Religious Israeli settlements]]
[[Category:Cities in the West Bank]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1994]]
[[Category:1994 establishments in Israel]]
[[Category:Israeli settlements in the West Bank]]
[[Category:Modi'in Illit| ]]