Elkana
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For other uses, see Elkanah.
Elkana or Elqana (Hebrew: אלקנה) is an Israeli settlement and local council in the Western Samarian region of the West Bank. It was founded in 1977 by a group from Gush Emunim of religious and non-religious Jews. As of 2002, it had a population of 4,000 people or 800 families. Elkana is situated just to the east of the Green Line and the city of Rosh HaAyin. The Trans-Samarian Highway previously cut through the town until 2000 when the road, which now skirts to the south, was upgraded.
Elkana was established as one the earliest settlements after 64 Knesset members signed a bill to allow the use of state land in the area for construction. Amongst the first families to move to the settlement was that of the former Chief of Staff Shaul Mofaz.
In 1983, the first permanent structures were built as the village was divided into different neighbourhoods named after the amount of homes planned in each one: 220, 165, 80, and 34 (also called Bnai Elkana). More recently, two newer neighbourhoods have been built; One on the northern side of the town as well as another smaller one to the west.
The town was named after the father of Samuel who is believed to have lived in the area. Virtually all of the town's residents are religious of a primarily national religious orientation.
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