Shitim
{{Infobox Israel village
| name = Shitim
| image =
| caption =
| hebname = {{Script/Hebrew|שיטים}}
| arname = شيتيم
| meaning =
| founded = 1984
| founded_by =
| country = {{ISR}}
| district = south
| council = Hevel Eilot
| affiliation =
| popyear = 2019
| population = 4
| pushpin_map = Israel negev mt#Israel
| pushpin_mapsize = 250
| coordinates = {{coord|30|10|36|N|35|00|59|E|display=inline,title}}
| area_dunam =
| website =
}}
Shitim ({{langx|he|שיטים}}) is a community settlement in southern Israel. Located in the Arabah valley, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hevel Eilot Regional Council. In 2019 it had a population of 4.{{cite web |url=https://www.cbs.gov.il/he/publications/doclib/2017/population_madaf/population_madaf_2019_1.xlsx|title=Population in the Localities 2019|publisher=Israel Central Bureau of Statistics|access-date=16 August 2020|format=XLS}}
History
The village was established in 1984 as a Nahal settlement, with soldiers often living at the site following the end of a combat role and working in nearby kibbutzim. In the early 1990s, the nearby army base was taken over by a different battalion, which largely operated in the West Bank. This caused disruption in the day-to-day agricultural activities of the village and it was abandoned by the IDF in 1997, with the site given to kibbutz Ketura. Attempts to establish a civilian village at the site failed and the settlement was dismantled.
In 2002 a group of followers of Rajneesh founded a guesthouse on the site under the name 'Ashram BaMidbar' (Ashram in the Desert), with people working at the guesthouse re-establishing the village.
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Hevel Eilot}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Community settlements
Category:Populated places established in 1984