Geshur, Golan Heights
Encyclopedia
Geshur is an Israeli settlement
, kibbutz
, on the ridge of the southern Golan Heights. The international community considers Israeli settlements in the Golan Heights illegal under international law
, but the Israeli government disputes this.
According to the Bible
, during the time of King David, Geshur
was an independent kingdom
(Joshua 13:13). David
married Maachah, a daughter of Talmai
, King of Geshur. Her son Absalom
fled to his mother's native country, after the murder of his half-brother and David's eldest son, Amnon
. Absalom stayed there for three years before being rehabilitated by David. (ib. ) Geshur was situated in the Golan, was close to and allied with the Kingdom of Israel but not to the Aramean
s, and managed to maintain its independence from the Aramean kingdoms until after the time of King Solomon, the third King of Israel.
, a socialist-Zionist youth movement, It falls under the jurisdiction of Golan Regional Council
. Geshur has a population of 150, including 35 children.
The first Golan Heights vineyards were planted in Geshur in 1976.
Israeli settlement
An Israeli settlement is a Jewish civilian community built on land that was captured by Israel from Jordan, Egypt, and Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and is considered occupied territory by the international community. Such settlements currently exist in the West Bank...
, kibbutz
Kibbutz
A kibbutz is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism...
, on the ridge of the southern Golan Heights. The international community considers Israeli settlements in the Golan Heights illegal under international law
International law and Israeli settlements
The international community considers the establishment of Israeli settlements in the Israeli-occupied territories illegal under international law, but Israel maintains that they are consistent with international law because it does not agree that the Fourth Geneva Convention applies to the...
, but the Israeli government disputes this.
Biblical era
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
, during the time of King David, Geshur
Geshur
Geshur was a territory in the northern part of Bashan, in ancient Levant, adjoining the province of Argob and the kingdom of Aram or Syria. It was allotted to the half-tribe of Manasseh, which settled east of the Jordan river; but its inhabitants, the Geshurites, could not be expelled...
was an independent kingdom
Monarchy
A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...
(Joshua 13:13). David
David
David was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible and, according to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, an ancestor of Jesus Christ through both Saint Joseph and Mary...
married Maachah, a daughter of Talmai
Talmai
Talmai is a name in the Bible referring to a number of minor people. Its Aramaic version was connected to the Greek Ptolemy , and, later, to the Italian Bartolomeo, English Bartholomew etc....
, King of Geshur. Her son Absalom
Absalom
According to the Bible, Absalom or Avshalom was the third son of David, King of Israel with Maachah, daughter of Talmai, King of Geshur. describes him as the most handsome man in the kingdom...
fled to his mother's native country, after the murder of his half-brother and David's eldest son, Amnon
Amnon
According to the Bible, Amnon was the oldest son of David, King of Israel, with his wife, Ahinoam, who is described as "the Jezreelitess". -Rape of Tamar:...
. Absalom stayed there for three years before being rehabilitated by David. (ib. ) Geshur was situated in the Golan, was close to and allied with the Kingdom of Israel but not to the Aramean
Aram (Biblical region)
Aram is the name of a region mentioned in the Bible located in central Syria, including where the city of Aleppo now stands.-Etymology:The etymology is uncertain. One standard explanation is an original meaning of "highlands"...
s, and managed to maintain its independence from the Aramean kingdoms until after the time of King Solomon, the third King of Israel.
Modern era
Kibbutz Geshur was founded in 1971 by Hashomer HatzairHashomer Hatzair
Hashomer Hatzair is a Socialist–Zionist youth movement founded in 1913 in Galicia, Austria-Hungary, and was also the name of the group's political party in the Yishuv in the pre-1948 British Mandate of Palestine...
, a socialist-Zionist youth movement, It falls under the jurisdiction of Golan Regional Council
Golan Regional Council
The Golan Regional Council is the regional council consolidating almost all Israeli settlements located on the Golan Heights. It is made up of 19 moshavim and 10 kibbutzim, and other villages...
. Geshur has a population of 150, including 35 children.
The first Golan Heights vineyards were planted in Geshur in 1976.
Further reading
- Duel for the Golan: the 100-hour battle that saved Israel, Jerry Asher, Eric M. Hammel, W. Morrow, 1987, ISBN 0688069118
- http://books.google.com/books?id=4cIuAAAAIAAJ&q=Geshur+Golan&dq=Geshur+Golan&client=firefox-a&cd=1Zohar, Mattanyahu, "The Land of Geshur Project: Regional Archaeology of the Southern Golan (1987-1988 season)," Israel Exploration JournalIsrael Exploration JournalThe Israel Exploration Journal is a semi-annual academic journal which has been published by the Israel Exploration Society since 1950. It primarily covers research in archaeology, but also history and geography relating to Israel and the surrounding areas. The editors are Shmuel Ahituv and...
, Volume 39, Israel Exploration SocietyIsrael Exploration SocietyThe Israel Exploration Society was founded in 1914 as the Society for the Reclamation of Antiquities, then renamed the Jewish Palestine Exploration Society...
, 1989]