Al-Zaitounah (, meaning "the Olive") is a

Palestinian Palestinians () are an Arab ethnonational group native to the Levantine region of Palestine. *: "Palestine was part of the first wave of conquest following Muhammad's death in 632 CE; Jerusalem fell to the Caliph Umar in 638. The indigenous p ...

town in the

Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate The Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate () is one of 16 governorates of Palestine. It covers a large part of the central West Bank, on the northern border of the Jerusalem Governorate. Its district capital or ''muhfaza'' (seat) is the city of ...

of the

State of Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

. It was formed in 2005 as the result of a merger of the villages of Abu Shukheidim and

al-Mazra'a al-Qibliya Al-Mazra'a al-Qibliya is a Palestinian village in the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate. The village had a population of 5,180 in 2017. In 2005 it merged with the village of Abu Shukheidim to form the town of Al-Zaitounah. History Pottery she ...

. In 2007, al-Zaitounah had a population of 6,190, according to the

Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS; ) is the official statistical institution of Palestine. Its main task is to provide credible statistical figures at the national and international levels. It is a state institution that provid ...

.2007 Census Final Results

Location

AL-Zaytouneh is located from

Ramallah Ramallah ( , ; ) is a Palestinians, Palestinian city in the central West Bank, that serves as the administrative capital of the State of Palestine. It is situated on the Judaean Mountains, north of Jerusalem, at an average elevation of abov ...

. It is bordered by

Bir Zeit Birzeit (), also Bir Zeit, is a Palestinian Christian town north of Ramallah, in the West Bank. Its population in the 2017 census was 5,878. Birzeit is home to Birzeit University and to the Birzeit Brewery. Location Bir Zeit is located north ...

and

Abu Qash Abu Qash () is a Palestinian village located in the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate in the northern West Bank, located north of Ramallah and south of the Birzeit University. According to the 2017 census conducted by the Palestinian Central Bure ...

to the east,

Kobar Kobar () is a Palestinian village in the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate of the State of Palestine, in the northern West Bank. Kobar is located at an altitude of above sea level with a mean annual rainfall of 669.8 mm. The average annual ...

and the

settlement Settlement may refer to: *Human settlement, a community where people live *Settlement (structural), downward movement of a structure's foundation *Settlement (finance), where securities are delivered against payment of money *Settlement (litigatio ...

Nahliel Nahliel () is a Haredi Israeli settlement in the West Bank. Located close to the Palestinian villages of Beitillu and Deir 'Ammar, and some from Modi'in, it is organised as a community settlement and falls under the jurisdiction of the Mat ...

to the north, Al-Itihad and Al Janiya to the west, and 'Ein Qiniya,

and Al Janiya to the south.

History

Al-Zaitounah was formed in 2005 as the result of a merger of the villages of Abu Shukheidim and

. After the

Oslo II Accord The Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, commonly known as Oslo II or Oslo 2, was a key and complex agreement in the Israeli–Palestinian peace process. Because it was signed in Taba, Egypt, it is sometimes called the Taba Agre ...

, 54.2% of Al-Zaitounah's land was classified as Area B land, while the remaining 45.8% is defined as

Area C Area C (; ) is the fully Israeli-controlled territory in the West Bank, defined as the whole area outside the Palestinian enclaves (Areas A and B). Area C constitutes about 61 percent of the West Bank territory, containing most Israeli settle ...

. Israel has confiscated 308 dunams of land from Al-Zaitounah for the construction of 2

Israeli settlements Israeli settlements, also called Israeli colonies, are the civilian communities built by Israel throughout the Israeli-occupied territories. They are populated by Israeli citizens, almost exclusively of Jewish identity or ethnicity, and hav ...

: 289 dunams for Talmon, while 19 dunams for Nahl'iel.AL-Zaytouneh Town Profile
ARIJ, p. 18

References

External links

Official website

Official website
*Survey of Western Palestine, Map 14
IAAWikimedia commons AL-Zaytouneh town (fact sheet)

Applied Research Institute–Jerusalem The Applied Research Institute - Jerusalem (ARIJ; ) is a Palestinian NGO founded in 1990 with its main office in Bethlehem in the West Bank. ARIJ is actively working on research projects in the fields of management of natural resources, water m ...

(ARIJ)
AL-Zaytouneh town profile
(ARIJ)
AL-Zaytouneh aerial photo
(ARIJ)
Locality Development Priorities and Needs in AL-Zaytouneh Town
(ARIJ) {{DEFAULTSORT:Zaitounah Towns in the West Bank Municipalities of Palestine