Amana (, 'Covenant') is an Israeli

settlement movement The settlement movement was a reformist social movement that began in the 1880s and peaked around the 1920s in the United Kingdom and the United States. Its goal was to bring the rich and the poor of society together in both physical proximity an ...

formed by Gush Emunim in 1976. Its primary goal was "developing communities in

Judea Judea or Judaea (; ; , ; ) is a mountainous region of the Levant. Traditionally dominated by the city of Jerusalem, it is now part of Palestine and Israel. The name's usage is historic, having been used in antiquity and still into the pres ...

Samaria Samaria (), the Hellenized form of the Hebrew name Shomron (), is used as a historical and Hebrew Bible, biblical name for the central region of the Land of Israel. It is bordered by Judea to the south and Galilee to the north. The region is ...

, the

Golan Heights The Golan Heights, or simply the Golan, is a basaltic plateau at the southwest corner of Syria. It is bordered by the Yarmouk River in the south, the Sea of Galilee and Hula Valley in the west, the Anti-Lebanon mountains with Mount Hermon in t ...

, the Galilee, the Negev and

Gush Katif Gush Katif () was a bloc of 17 Israeli settlements in the southern Gaza Strip. In August 2005, the Israel Defense Forces removed the 8,600 Israeli residents from their homes after a decision from the Cabinet of Israel. The communities were demo ...

." The initial communities it developed were Ofra, Mevo Modi'in, Kedumim, and Ma'aleh Adumim. Settlements developed in the

West Bank The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...

, including East Jerusalem, are illegal under international law. It became a registered association in 1978. It was also recognized by the World Zionist Organization. Over time, it became nearly independent of Gush Emunim. An investigation by the Israeli police into 15 land deals conducted by the Amana subsidiary Al Watan concluded early in 2016 that 14 of the transactions were fraudulent. One method used involved giving a suitcase full of cash to a fake Palestinian owner and taking it back afterwards. Al Watan denied the charges. Amana has provided financial support to illegal

Israeli outposts In Israeli law, an outpost (, ''Ma'ahaz'' lit. "a handhold") is an unauthorized or illegal Israeli settlement within the West Bank, constructed without the required authorization from the Israeli government in contravention of Israeli statutes re ...

in the West Bank. On 27 June 2024, Canada imposed sanctions on the Amana movement "for their role in facilitating, supporting or financially contributing to acts of

violence Violence is characterized as the use of physical force by humans to cause harm to other living beings, or property, such as pain, injury, disablement, death, damage and destruction. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines violence a ...

... against Palestinian civilians and their property". Nearly 90 US lawmakers sent a letter to Joe Biden in late October 2024, asking him to sanction Amana, which is involved in settlement development. On November 18, 2024, the US government imposed sanctions on Amana. The executive order authorizing these sanctions was rescinded by incoming US President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

in January 2025.

Budget and funding

As of 2024 Amana controlled assets worth approximately NIS 600 million ($160.4 million) and had a budget of tens of millions of shekels per year, according to Peace Now.Sharon, Jeremy, and Jacob Magid
"US sanctions key settlement organization Amana for dispossessing Palestinians"
'' The Times of Israel''. 18 November 2024.

References

External links

Official website
{{Cooperative types of settlement in Israel Religious Zionist organizations Israeli settlement Settlement movements in Israel 1976 establishments in Israel Organizations involved in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict