Sde Boaz
{{Short description|Israeli outpost in the West Bank}}
{{pp-extended|small=yes}}
{{Infobox Israel village
| name = Sde Boaz
| image = Sde Boaz 1.jpg
| imgsize = 250
| foundation = 2002
| founded_by = Students and soldiers
| country =
| region = West Bank
| district = js
| council = Gush Etzion
| pushpin_map=Israel south wb#West Bank#Palestine|pushpin_mapsize=250
| coordinates = {{coord|31|41|35|N|35|08|52|E|display=inline,title}}
| website =
}}
Sde Boaz ({{langx|he|שדה בועז||Boaz's Field}}) is an Israeli outpost in the West Bank, built in 2002 almost entirely on private Palestinian land.{{Cite web |last=Magid |first=Jacob |title=Cabinet okays legalization of 9 West Bank outposts in response to Jerusalem attacks |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/cabinet-okays-legalization-of-9-west-bank-outposts-in-response-to-jerusalem-attacks/ |access-date=2023-08-18 |website=www.timesofisrael.com |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Reeves |first=Brian |date=2019-10-05 |title=New Outpost on Land Where the JNF Evicted Palestinians near Bethlehem |url=https://peacenow.org.il/en/new-outpost-on-land-where-the-jnf-evicted-palestinians-near-bethlehem |access-date=2023-01-05 |website=Peace Now |language=en-US}} Located on a hill above Neve Daniel, it falls under the jurisdiction of Gush Etzion Regional Council.
The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1682640.stm |title=The Geneva Convention |publisher=BBC News |date=10 December 2009 |accessdate=27 November 2010 }} Outposts are considered illegal under Israeli law.
History
The settlement was established in 2002 by Hananel Shear-Yashuv, who claimed the land by moving a shipping container to the top of the hill and moving into it.{{cite news|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:AWNB:ZMGC&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=11F9DF1EF2DABCE0&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0D663DC0A81A15EA|title=Sde Boaz residents live in defiance of 'road map' at illegal West Bank outpost|publisher=McClatchy Washington Bureau|date=March 20, 2008|author=Dion Nissenbaum|accessdate=August 23, 2012}} It is named after Boaz from the Book of Ruth.
In its charter, Sde Boaz proclaims its desire to live in peace with its Arab neighbors and eschew violence. It is an environmentally friendly agricultural community that accepts both religious and non-religious Jews.{{cite news|url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/96449|title=IDF Destroys House in Gush Etzion ´Settlement Bloc´|author1=Ezra HaLevi|author2=Hillel Fendel|date=January 11, 2006|accessdate=August 23, 2012}}
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has called outposts like Sde Boaz a "disgrace." On taking office in 2006, Olmert began the destruction of illegal outposts in order to comply with the terms of the Road map for peace and by 2008 had agreed to dismantle Sde Boaz among these.
In 2006 Sde Boaz was the site of a massive protest against the court-ordered Israeli Defense Force (IDF) destruction of illegal Israeli construction. The IDF managed to destroy a small house and a stable as the court had ordered, but hundreds of Israeli protesters prevented the soldiers from destroying the foundation of a house under construction.
By 2008 some residents of Sde Boaz were being trained by Mishmeret Yesha, a non-profit organization that teaches settlers counterterrorism techniques and the use of guns so that they can form "rapid response teams." The IDF supplies settlers who've received the training with M16 rifles and ammunition.{{cite news|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:AWNB:JERB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=11FF8D7F29C11640&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0D663DC0A81A15EA|title=Jews with guns|publisher=Jerusalem Post|date=April 4, 2008|author=Matthew Wagner|accessdate=August 23, 2012}}
Demographics
Most of the residents are professionals who commute to work. Apart from communal agriculture projects, some families engage in private organic farming, raising chickpeas, cauliflower, tomatoes, watermelons, lettuce, grapes, mulberries and olives. Experimental crops include tomatillos, North American pumpkins and sweet peas.{{cite web|url=http://www.sdeboaz.com/hebrew/about_us.html|title=Sde Boaz: History|publisher=sdeboaz.com|accessdate=August 23, 2012|archive-date=July 22, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120722093649/http://www.sdeboaz.com/hebrew/about_us.html|url-status=dead}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Gush Etzion Regional Council}}
Category:Israeli settlements in the West Bank
Category:Populated places established in 2002