Beitar Illit (Hebrew: בֵּיתָר עִלִּית; officially Betar Illit; "Illit" is pronounced "ee-leet"; Arabic: بيتار عيليت‎) is an Israeli settlement and city in Gush Etzion, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) south of Jerusalem, in the Judaean Mountains of the West Bank. Beitar Illit is one of Israel's largest and most rapidly growing settlements. As of July 2013 it had a population of approximately 45,710. The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.

Name

Beitar Illit, (lit. Upper Beitar) is named after the ancient Jewish city of Betar, whose ruins lie 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) away.

History

Beitar Illit was established in 1984 on the lands of the Palestinian village of Husan by a small group of young families from the religious Zionist yeshiva of Machon Meir. The first residents moved in, in 1990. As Beitar Illit began to grow, an influx of Haredi Jewish Bobover families came to predominate, while the original group moved on. The city is now home to many Hasidic groups, including Bobov, Boston, Boyan, Breslov, Karlin-Stolin and Slonim. The city has expanded to three adjacent hills.