Kokhav Ya'akov () is a religious Israeli settlement organized as a community settlement in the West Bank. Located near the Palestinian town of al-Bireh, it is administered by Mateh Binyamin Regional Council. In it had a population of . The settlement is north of Jerusalem and close to the Palestinian city of Ramallah.
The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.
History According to ARIJ Israel confiscated land from two Palestinian villages in order to construct Kokhav Ya'akov:
2,037 dunams from Kafr 'AqabKafr 'Aqab village profile, ARIJ, p. 15 284 dunams from BurqaBurqa Village profile, ARIJ, p. 4Israeli settlers sabotaged 40 olive trees in Burqa village /Ramallah, POICA
The settlement was established in 1985 by the Amana settlement movement, and was initially named Abir Ya'akov after rabbi Yaakov Abuhatzeira. In 1988, its name was changed to Kokhav Ya'akov.
In 2013, Uri Ariel, then serving as Minister of Construction, visited Kochav Ya’akov, where he expressed support for additional home-building. Ariel indicated that he believed there was potential to construction 1,000 more homes in Kochav Ya’akov.
In 2023 the Tel Zion neighbourhood was recognised as an independent settlement.
Yemen Gallery In March 2013 a heritage and tourism site promoting the legacy of Yemenite Jewry opened in Kokhav Ya'akov. Founded by Shoham Simchi, the Yemen Gallery () houses an art gallery and a workshop that recreates the life of Yemen's Jews. The building itself is designed in the spirit of traditional Yemenite architecture.
Voting Patterns In the 2022 election, 98 percent of voters in Kokhav Ya'akov voted for the parties of the right-wing coalition led by Benjamin Netanyahu, while 1 percent voted for the parties of the center-left coalition led by Yair Lapid and 0.05 percent voted for the Arab parties. 60 percent of voters voted for the Haredi parties Shas or UTJ.
Notable residents Bat-El Gatterer (born 1988), Israeli taekwondo Olympian and European champion
References
External links Official website