Neve Ativ

Neve Ativ
View of Neve Ativ
Neve Ativ
Neve Ativ
Coordinates: 33°15′42″N 35°44′28″E / 33.26167°N 35.74111°E / 33.26167; 35.74111
DistrictNorthern
CouncilGolan
AffiliationAgricultural Union
Founded1972 (1972)
Population
 (2024)[1]
226
Websiteneve-ativ.org.il

Neve Ativ (Hebrew: נווה אטי"ב), is an Israeli settlement organized as a small Alpine-styled moshav in the Golan Heights. Located on the slopes of Mount Hermon, 2 kilometers (1.2 mi) west of Majdal Shams.[2] it falls under the jurisdiction of Golan Regional Council. In 2024 it had a population of 226.[1]

The international community considers Israeli settlements in the Golan Heights illegal under international law, though the Israeli and United States governments dispute this.[3][4]

Etymology

The name Ativ is an acronym for four fallen soldiers from the Egoz Reconnaissance Unit killed in action in the Golan in 1968: Avraham Hameiri, Tuvia Ellinger, Yair Elegarnty, and Binyamin Hadad. Neve means Oasis.[5]

History

Israel and Syria fought major battles in the area in 1967 and 1973, and it remains a strategic military position.[6] Neve Ativ was built on the land of the destroyed Syrian village of Jubata ez-Zeit.[7][8] It was founded in 1972, when the Golan region was a part of the Israeli Military Governorate, governed by military occupation system. In 1981, the area of Golan was unilaterally annexed by Israel.

In November 1996, a dining room in the settlement was set on fire and the walls on the building had "Down With the Occupation" and "The Golan Belongs to Syria" painted on them. Pro-Syrian Druze were believed to be behind it.[9]

Economy

The moshav's main industry is tourism. Since 1972, Neve Ativ has operated the nearby Mount Hermon ski resort,[10][11] which has 25 kilometers (16 mi) of ski runs on the southern slopes of Mount Hermon.[12][13] The resort was destroyed in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, but re-opened the following year.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b "Regional Statistics". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  2. ^ Israel & the Palestinian territories, p. 271, Lonely Planet Israel, Michael Kohn, Lonely Planet, 2007, ISBN 1-86450-277-0, ISBN 978-1-86450-277-0, accessed December 18, 2009
  3. ^ "The Geneva Convention". BBC News. 10 December 2009. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
  4. ^ ‘Golan Heights is part of northern Israel,’ White House says after Hezbollah attack The Jerusalem Post. 29 July 2024
  5. ^ Fox, Mira. "Benjamin Netanyahu is on vacation — these protesters followed him there", The Forward, August 9, 2023. Accessed March 17, 2026. "Neve Ativ is named for four fallen soldiers, members of the Egoz combat unit who died during a 1968 operation. 'Neve' means home, or abode, and 'ativ' is an acronym for the fallen soldiers’ names: Avraham Hameiri, Tuvia Sherkenger, Yair Algranati and Binyamin Hadad."
  6. ^ Israel handbook: with the Palestinian Authority areas, Footprint handbooks, Dave Winter, Footprint Travel Guides, 1999, ISBN 1-900949-48-2, ISBN 978-1-900949-48-4, accessed December 19, 2009
  7. ^ Murphy, R.; Gannon, D. (2008), "Changing The Landscape: Israel's Gross Violation of International Law in the occupied Syrian Golan", Yearbook of International Humanitarian Law, 11, Cambridge University Press: 139–174, doi:10.1017/S1389135908001396, p. 151
  8. ^ Dar, Shimon (1993). Settlements and cult sites on Mount Hermon, Israel: Ituraean culture in the Hellenistic and Roman periods (Illustrated ed.). Tempus Reparatum. p. 168. ISBN 978-0-86054-756-3.
  9. ^ David Rudge (1996-11-29). "Police probe series of arson attacks, Golan Druse suspected". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 2016-10-18. Retrieved 2013-04-04.
  10. ^ a b "Ski resort back in business," Archived 2012-10-24 at the Wayback Machine Chicago Tribune, March 7, 1975, accessed December 18, 2009
  11. ^ Safier, Dovi; Geberer, Yehuda. "Skiing on Sacred Snow", Mishpacha, January 7, 2025. Accessed March 16, 2026. "In 1972, the Israeli government transferred control of the skiing operation to the families of the newly established Neve Ativ alpine moshav on the slopes of Mount Hermon. The Neve Ativ residents continue to operate the site today."
  12. ^ Sandler, Neil, "As Israelis debate the fate of the Golan, skiers and investors flock to its slopes", August 8, 1994, accessed April 18, 2015
  13. ^ "Gee, Robert W., "They're not heavenly, but the Holy Land has slopes," Austin American-Statesman, February 10, 2002, accessed December 18, 2009". Archived from the original on February 22, 2015. Retrieved December 19, 2009.