Kokhav Ya'akov



Kokhav Ya'akov (כּוֹכַב יַעֲקֹב) 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 'Aqab
 * 284 dunams from Burqa

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.

Tel Zion neighborhood
The Haredi neighborhood of Tel Zion, established in 1990, is part of the village. Its community boasts of over 800 families, including a large growing Litvish segment. The Yishuv is headed by the warm Rabbi Avraham Goldberg. In 2017 the Times of Israel reported that Kokhav Ya'akov has around Haredi 5,500 residents.

A recent housing project was launched to attract new members, and over 100 apartments have been occupied. Two new Kollelim have been established under the directive of Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky. Rabbi Noe is the leader of the younger members, together with full support of Rabbi Goldberg.

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 (החצר התימנית) 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.

Notable residents

 * Bat-El Gatterer (born 1988), Israeli taekwondo Olympian and European champion