Keida (), also transcribed Kida, is an

Israeli outpost 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 ...

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 ...

named after a genus of flower that grows in the region. It is situated just off the

Allon Road Allon Road is the name given by Israel to Routes 458, 508, and 578 in the West Bank, running roughly south–north along the eastern watershed of the Judaean Mountains, Judaean and Samarian Hills, between Highway 1 (Israel), Highway 1 near Kfa ...

, a five-minute drive east of Shilo, which is the mother-town of these outposts. It forms one of six Israeli outposts, built on land seized from the Palestinian villages of

Jalud Jalud () is a Palestinian people, Palestinian village in the Nablus Governorate in the northern West Bank. It is approximately south of Nablus and is situated just east of Qaryut, south of Qusra and northeast of Shilo, Mateh Binyamin, Shilo, an ...

Qaryut Qaryout () is a Palestinian people, Palestinian village in the Nablus Governorate in the northern West Bank, located southeast of Nablus. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), Qaryut had a population of 2,560 inhabit ...

Turmus Ayya Turmus Ayya () is a Palestinian territories, Palestinian town located in the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate in the West Bank, in Palestine. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), it had a population of 2,464 in 2017. ...

and al-Mughayir. Among the other settlements belonging to the group at

Shvut Rachel Shvut Rachel () is a former Israeli settlement in the West Bank, retroactively designated a neighborhood of the settlement of Shilo, in the West Bank. Shvut Rachel sits between the Palestinian villages of Turmus Ayya, Qaryut and Jalud, part of ...

Giv'at Har'el Givat Harel () is an Israeli settlement in the West Bank, built as an Israeli outpost, illegal outpost in 1998 and legalized in 2023 by the Israeli government. The settlement was illegally established in 1998 mostly on State of Palestine, Pales ...

Esh Kodesh Esh Kodesh () is an Israeli outpost in the West Bank near Shilo. It falls under the jurisdiction of the Mateh Binyamin Regional Council. Israeli outposts in the West Bank are considered illegal both under international law as well as under Is ...

, Ahiya and Adei Ad. Keida was established without a master plan or permission to build. The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this. By 2009, it comprised 35 portable homes.

History

Keida was founded in 2003. Originally, it was supposed to be built on an abandoned army base of the same name but was later moved to an adjacent hilltop. The outpost is under the jurisdiction of the

Mateh Binyamin Regional Council Mateh Binyamin Regional Council (, ''Mo'atza Azorit Mateh Binyamin,'' Lit. Council for the Region of the Tribe of Benjamin) is a Regional Councils in Israel, regional council Local government in Israel, governing 47 Israeli settlements and Israe ...

. The outposts in the group confiscated for Israeli settler use some 70% of the Palestinian village of Jalud's agricultural land. There is no public transportation serving Keida. The only means of transportation are car or hitchhiking.Access is difficult, since Keida like the 5 other illegal outposts, is surrounded by several checkpoints. No journalists, Israeli or otherwise, were permitted into Keida until 2009. Though most of the outpost structures are under demolition orders, which are not implemented, as of 2018 the American tourist booking company

Airbnb Airbnb, Inc. ( , an abbreviation of its original name, "Air Bed and Breakfast") is an American company operating an online marketplace for short-and-long-term homestays, experiences and services in various countries and regions. It acts as a ...

listed Keida as a "neighbourhood". with accommodation for visiting guests. One of its settlers, Yair Hirsch, was appointed by

Avichai Mandelblit Avichai Mandelblit (; born 29 July 1963) is an Israeli jurist who served as the Attorney General of Israel from 2016 to 2022. Mandelblit had a long career in the Israel Defense Forces legal system, eventually serving as the Chief Military Advoc ...

, the Attorney General of the Naftali Bennett government in 2021 to the post of Interior Minister director general. His residence in Keida was built in violation of Israeli building laws, and is subject to a demolition order.

Incidents

According to Palestinian testimonies, on 15 February 2011 3 settlers from Keida shot Wael Toubasy (16) in the stomach as he was walking home with his brother from their family's olive groves. Their father Mahmoud also reported being shot at by settlers from Keida in 2001 while he was driving his tractor. The current population of the Keida outpost consists of some 80 settler families.

Notes

Citations

Sources

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External links

* {{coord, 32, 2, 59, N, 35, 20, 27, E, display=title Mateh Binyamin Regional Council Populated places established in 2003 Religious Israeli settlements Israeli outposts Unauthorized Israeli settlements