Rosh Tzurim רֹאשׁ צוּרִים روش صوريم | |
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  Rosh Tzurim | |
| Coordinates:31°40′1″N35°7′32″E / 31.66694°N 35.12556°E /31.66694; 35.12556 | |
| District | Judea and Samaria Area |
| Council | Gush Etzion |
| Region | West Bank |
| Affiliation | Religious Kibbutz Movement |
| Founded | 1969 |
| Founded by | Bnei AkivaReligious Scouts andNahal |
| Population (2022)[1] | 978 |
| Website | r-tzurim.co.il |
Rosh Tzurim (Hebrew:רֹאשׁ צוּרִים,lit. 'Top of the Rocks') is anIsraeli settlement and religiouskibbutz in theWest Bank established in 1969. It is located about 20 kilometers (12 mi) south of Jerusalem, 3.9 km east of theGreen Line, insidebarrier wall. A member of theReligious Kibbutz Movement, it falls under the jurisdiction of theGush Etzion Regional Council. In 2022 it had a population of 978.
The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bankillegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.[2]
The name originates from the Biblical passage "For from the top of the crags I see him" (Num 23:9)[3] - just like the neighbouring villageGevaot.
According toARIJ, Israel confiscated land from two nearbyPalestinian villages in order to construct Rosh Tzurim: 110dunams fromNahalin,[4] and 780 dunams fromKhirbet Beit Zakariyyah.[5]
The settlement was established in 1969 by members ofBnei AkivaReligious Scouts andNahal soldiers.[3]
Rosh Tzurim is located on the site of the ancientBeth Zechariah[citation needed] and on a hilltop that had previously been occupied byEin Tzurim, a kibbutz thatwas destroyed in the1948 Arab-Israeli War by the JordanianArab Legion and later re-established in theLakhish area.[citation needed]
Rosh Tzurim went through a privatization process, first through the rental of available houses, and later an additional neighborhood, Nof Tzurim, was built on the kibbutz.[6]
The kibbutz raises turkeys, produces milk and grows grapes for wine production along with other fruits.
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