Efrat (Israeli settlement)
Efrat (Hebrew: אֶפְרָת), or previously officially Efrata (Hebrew: אֶפְרָתָה), is an Israeli settlement in the West Bank, established in 1983 in the Judean Mountains. Efrat is located 12 kilometers (7.5 mi) south of Jerusalem, between Bethlehem and Hebron, 6.5 km (4 mi) east of the Green Line, at the Palestinian side of the West Bank wall. The settlement stands at an altitude of up to 960 metres (3,150 feet) above sea level and covers about 6,000 dunam (1,500 acres). Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law.
Efrat
| |
|---|---|
Local council | |
| Hebrew transcription(s) | |
| • ISO 259 | ʔeprat, ʔepráta |
| • Also spelled | Efrata (previously) (official) |
Efrat, 2012 | |
Efrat | |
| Coordinates: 31°39′28.8″N 35°9′11.16″E | |
| Region | West Bank |
| District | Judea and Samaria Area |
| Founded | 1983 |
| Government | |
| • Head of Municipality | Oded Revivi |
| Area | |
| • Total | 6,280 dunams (6.28 km2 or 2.42 sq mi) |
| Population (2022) | |
| • Total | 11,853 |
| • Density | 1,900/km2 (4,900/sq mi) |
Considered the capital of Gush Etzion, it had a population of 11,853 in 2022. Although geographically located within Gush Etzion, it is independent from the Gush Etzion Regional Council, and Palestinians in negotiations do not consider it as part of that block, since it lies to the east of Route 60 — their side of the Geneva Initiative map. Since November 2008, Oded Revivi, an attorney and lieutenant colonel in the army and member of the Likud Central Committee, is the head of Efrat regional council.