Mitzpe Yair

Mitzpe Yair
Mitzpe Yair
Coordinates: 31°23′04″N35°08′04″E / 31.38444°N 35.13444°E / 31.38444; 35.13444
District	Judea and Samaria Area
Council	Har Hebron
Region	West Bank
Founded	October 1998
Founded by	Meir Am-Shalem

Mitzpe Yair (Hebrew : מצפה יאיר, lit.  'Yair Lookout') is an unauthorized (or illegal under Israeli law) ^[1] Israeli settlement in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Located two kilometres south-east of Susya, it falls under the jurisdiction of Har Hebron Regional Council. It consists of 15 prefabricated structures, and is home for several families.^{[ when? ]}

History

Mitzpe Yair was established by Meir Am-Shalem in October 1998, and, according to Gideon Levy, was a price tag operation set up as Magen David Farm in retribution for the murder of a Susya settler, Yair Har-Sinai, after whom it was subsequently renamed. ^[2]

Legal status

Mitzpe Yair is an unauthorized settlement that is regarded as illegal by the Israeli regional administration. ^[3] In 2007 Peace Now revealed that a police superintendent was residing there despite its illegal status. The officer was ordered to evacuate his house by July that year. ^[4]

The international community considers all Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this ^[5] in regard to those settlements who do have state authorization.

A vineyard in a wadi, planted on privately owned Palestinian land, and run by Elad Movshoviz, produces 7,000 bottles per annum. A legal case on the ownership of the area was, as of 2012, pending before the Israeli High Court of Justice. ^[2]

References

1. "Israeli extremists attack Palestinian laborers during IDF-approved agricultural work". The Times of Israel. 2025-01-22. Retrieved 2025-05-24.
2. Gideon Levi, 'Not sacred, not stolen', at Haaretz, 7 September 2012
3. Tovah Lazaroff, Yaakov Lappin, 'South Hebron Hills land dispute turns violent', Jerusalem Post 05/09/2008 ^{[ permanent dead link ]} 'this had not stopped seven or eight families from placing caravans on the land to create the small Mitzpe Yair outpost . . Those caravans' placement has been deemed by the Civil Administration of Judea and Samaria to be illegal and there are enforcement proceedings under way against them.'
4. Weiss, Efrat (2007-01-01). "Israeli police officer living in illegal outpost". YNET.
5. "The Geneva Convention". BBC News. 10 December 2009. Retrieved 27 November 2010.

External links

• Peace Now's Information