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Afik (Hebrew: אֲפִיק) is an Israeli settlement organized as a kibbutz in the Golan Heights. It was established in 1972 close to the abandoned Syrian village of Fiq following Israel's capture and occupation of the Golan Heights in the 1973 Yom Kippur War.[3] In 2023, it had a population of 394.[1].
Key Information
The international community considers Israeli settlements in the Golan Heights illegal under international law, while the Israeli government disputes this.[4]
Etymology
[edit]Afiq literally means channel, riverbed. The name is derived from the Arab name Fiq and the ancient Biblical city Afeq.[5]
Name and biblical Aphek
[edit]There are multiple locations called Aphek in the Bible, and the location of the kibbutz was believed to be adjacent to the ruins of the ancient Aphek mentioned in the Books of Kings (1 Kings 20:26), which tells how King Ahab of Israel defeated Ben-Hadad I of Damascus and the prophet Elisha foretold that King Jehoash of Israel would defeat Ben-Hadad III of Damascus three times.[6][7] Archaeologists however lately favour Tel 'En Gev/Khirbet el-'Asheq within Kibbutz Ein Gev as the site of biblical Aphek.[8]
History
[edit]
Kibbutz Afik, affiliated with Ihud HaKvutzot VeHaKibbutzim, was established near the site of the abandoned Syrian village of Fiq on 8 May 1972.[9][10][11] It falls under the municipal jurisdiction of the Golan Regional Council, and the Fik Airfield is located nearby.
Economy
[edit]Economic branches include agriculture (seasonal vegetables, pulses, and fruit orchards), dairy cattle and chicken coops. The kibbutz also operates several factories in partnership with Yifat such as Afic Printing Solutions, which produces toners and ink cartridges. Afik shares ownership of Hamat Gader, a hot mineral springs health resort, with three other kibbutzim. Another source of employment is the Orhan Afik guesthouse.[citation needed]
Notable people
[edit]- Shimon Sheves (born 1952), Israeli political strategic advisor
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "Regional Statistics". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
- ^ A Nahal settlement by the name Afiq was established some 4 km to the N East in 1967. Kibbutz Afiq was established as a civilian locality in its current place in 1972, but it is still listed on the Israeli records as a 1967-established locality.
- ^ Future Of Golan Heights Has Israelis Living There Split, Too Some Would Give It Up For Peace With Syria. Others Say Never.
- ^ "The Geneva Convention". BBC. 10 December 2009.
- ^ Website of Golan Regional Council Archived 2009-12-19 at the Wayback Machine, 10 March 2008 (in Hebrew)
- ^ "The Golan Heights: Geography, Geology and History". Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved 30 December 2009.
- ^ Pinchas Neman (1966). אפק. אנציקלופדיה גיאוגרפית מקראית (Biblical Geographic Encyclopedia) (in Hebrew). Yavne Publishing. Retrieved 30 December 2009.
- ^ Negev, Avraham; Gibson, Shimon, eds. (2001). Aphek. New York and London: Continuum. p. 39. ISBN 0-8264-1316-1. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help) - ^ Events of 1972-1981, p.357, Encyclopaedia Judaica, 1982. Accessed 21 December 2009.
- ^ "The colonization of the West Bank territories by Israel : hearings before the Subcommittee on Immigration and Naturalization of the Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate, Ninety-fifth Congress, first session on the question of West Bank settlements and the treatment of Arabs in the Israeli-occupied territories" (PDF). U.S. Government. 1977. p. 59.
3. Afik: this was the first settlement established in the Golan Heights after the June 1967 war, under the name of Nahal Golan, on the site of the Arab village of Fiek. In January 1968 it was enlarged and renamed Afik. The area of the settlement is 4,500 dunums, and it is affiliated with the Labor Party.
- ^ אפיק (in Hebrew). Golan Residence Association. Archived from the original on 2009-12-19. Retrieved 30 December 2009.