Pisgat Ze'ev (Hebrew:פסגת זאב, lit.Ze'ev's Peak) is anIsraeli settlement inEast Jerusalem[1] and the largest residential neighborhood inJerusalem with a population of over 50,000.[2] Pisgat Ze'ev was established byIsrael as one of the city's fiveRing Neighborhoods on landeffectively annexed after the 1967Six-Day War.
The international community considers Israeli settlements in East Jerusalemillegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.[3]
Pisgat Ze'ev is situated east ofShuafat andBeit Hanina, west ofHizma, south ofNeve Yaakov, and north of'Anata and the Shuafatrefugee camp. TheIsraeli West Bank barrier includes Pisgat Ze'ev in the northern section of Jerusalem while excluding Shuafat refugee camp from the city by running in an S-shape here.[1]
Archeological evidence shows that in the biblical period, the site encompassed small agricultural villages along routes north from Jerusalem toNablus and theGalilee. The villages made use of varied water-catchment strategies and served the needs of Israelite Jerusalem, including as a major producer of wine and oil for use in theTemple in Jerusalem.[4] Three ritual baths from theSecond Temple period have been excavated in Pisgat Ze'ev.[5]
TheByzantine period saw the villages' primary use shift from agriculture to service religious functions, such as churches and monasteries. A large monastery from the period was located at the site's highest point, Ras at-Tawill. The monastery was likely active from the end of the 5th century to the close of the 8th century, and included a mosaic-floored chapel above a burial cave, as well as anoil press and a cloth bag of 200 coins.[4] An oven and pots from theIron Age were also found nearby.[4]
An archaeological site known asDeir Ghazali (the Deer Monastery) was also excavated in eastern Pisgat Ze’ev.[6]
Overlooking the neighborhood isTell el-Ful, believed to be the capital of theTribe of Judah and site of the Israelite KingSaul's palace. KingHussein of Jordan beganconstructing a palace there in the mid-1960s.[4][7]
In the 1930s, plots of land were purchased nearHizme by European Jews for the establishment of a Jewish farming cooperative, Havatzelet Binyamin. Most of the landowners died in theHolocaust. The land was later expropriated along with Palestinian land to build Pisgat Ze'ev.[8]
Pisgat Ze'ev was established in 1982 on landannexed to Israel after the 1967Six-Day War as one of the city's fiveRing Neighborhoods, meant to create a contiguous Jewish link withNeve Yaakov in the city's north, which had been isolated from other Jewish areas. The original name proposal was "Pisgat Tal," based on the Arabic name of the hilltop where construction was to begin,Ras at-Tawill, but the final choice was Pisgat Ze'ev, after theRevisionist Zionist leader,Ze'ev Jabotinsky.[9]
According toARIJ, Israelconfiscated land from several surroundingPalestinian communities in order to construct Pisgat Ze'ev:
In May 2003, a public bus leaving the Pisgat Ze'ev terminus was blown up by a Palestiniansuicide bomber. Seven people were killed in the attack and dozens were wounded. The police said the bomber boarded the bus disguised as a religious Jew, wearing akippa and aprayer shawl.[13] One of the victims was a resident of the Shuafat refugee camp, on his way to work at theHadassah Medical Center inEin Kerem.[14]
The neighborhood was established on a hilltop known in Arabic asRas at-Tawill, 772 meters above sea level, and its additional construction phases descend along the ridge and up to a neighboring hill. Pisgat Ze'ev has five districts: Center (1984), West (1988), East and North (1990), and South (1998). Pisgat Ze'ev is situated in north Jerusalem to the east ofShuafat andBeit Hanina, west ofHizma, south ofNeve Yaakov, and north ofFrench Hill,'Anata and the Shuafat refugee camp. It is due east of thewatershed on the edge of theJudean Desert.
In 2017, Pisgat Zeev had a population of 42,300.[15] In 2007 it was reported to have about 1,300 of which were Arabs.[16] Many residents of Pisgat Ze'ev are Jerusalem families that left the city center in search of more affordable housing. Pisgat Ze'ev has a mixed population of religious and secular Jews.[4] The construction of theIsraeli West Bank barrier has also prompted Arabs to move to Pisgat Ze'ev.[17]
The international community considers Israeli settlements in theIsraeli-occupied territories, including East Jerusalem, to violate theFourth Geneva Convention's prohibition on the transfer of a civilian population into occupied territory and thus illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.[3][18] Israel disputes that the Fourth Geneva Convention applies to these territories as they had not been legally held by a sovereign prior to Israel taking control of them. This view has been rejected by theInternational Court of Justice and theInternational Committee of the Red Cross.[19][20]
With 40 percent of the residents under the age of 21, Pisgat Ze'ev has 58 kindergartens, 9 elementary schools, 2 middle schools and 3 high schools. There are also 22 synagogues and 2 libraries.
Moshe Dayan Boulevard, beginning atHighway 1 (Israel/Palestine) in the south and ending inNeve Yaakov in the north, is named after the famed Israeli Army general.[21] It is Pisgat Ze'ev's major commercial thoroughfare, including many shops, eateries and thePisga Mall.
Pisgat Ze'ev is located on theJerusalem Light Rail line. Pisgat Ze'ev Center is two stations away from the northern terminus.[22]
Many of the street names in Pisgat Ze'ev commemorate leading Israeli personalities such asSimcha Holtzberg,Moshe Rachmilewitz,Eliyahu Meridor and Meir Gershon.[21] In the center of Pisgat Ze'ev, many streets are named forIsrael Defense Forces units that fought in the country's wars such asSayeret Duchifat Blvd.,HaSayeret HaYerushalmit St.,Sayeret Golani St. andHel HaAvir St.[21] A memorial for fallen soldiers is located in an archeological park in central Pisgat Ze'ev.
Moshe Dayan Boulevard, beginning atHighway 1 (Israel/Palestine) in the south and ending inNeve Yaakov in the north, is named after the famed Israeli Army general.[21] It is Pisgat Ze'ev's major commercial thoroughfare, including many shops, eateries and thePisga Mall. Many of the street names in Pisgat Ze'ev commemorate leading Israeli personalities such asSimcha Holtzberg,Moshe Rachmilewitz,Eliyahu Meridor and Meir Gershon.[21] In the center of Pisgat Ze'ev, many streets are named forIsrael Defense Forces units that fought in the country's wars such asSayeret Duchifat Blvd.,HaSayeret HaYerushalmit St.,Sayeret Golani St. andHel HaAvir St.[21] A memorial for fallen soldiers is located in an archeological park in central Pisgat Ze'ev.
With the help of theSociety for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI), the residents of Pisgat Ze'ev transformed a 5-acre (20,000 m2) site used as an illegal dumping ground into awildflower sanctuary with over 55 species of trees and plants.[23]
In 2011, an innovative water-recycling project was introduced at theritual bath in Pisgat Ze'ev which will make it unnecessary to change the water every day.[24] In 2011, rainwater collection tanks were installed at the Pisgat Ze'ev (West) school in a project designed to conserve water organized by the Green Network, which specializes in educational programming in ecology and the environment.[25]
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