Rakefet

Rakefet
  • רַקֶּפֶת (Hebrew)
Etymology: Cyclamen
Rakefet
Rakefet
Coordinates: 32°51′17″N 35°15′56″E / 32.85472°N 35.26556°E / 32.85472; 35.26556
CountryIsrael
DistrictNorthern
CouncilMisgav
AffiliationMoshavim Movement
Founded1981
Population
 (2024)[1]
938

Rakefet (Hebrew: רַקֶּפֶת) is a community settlement in northern Israel.[2] Located in the Lower Galilee near Sakhnin, it falls under the jurisdiction of Misgav Regional Council. In 2024 it had a population of 938.[1]

History

The village was established in 1981 as a moshav shitufi; its name means "Cyclamen". In August 1989 it was converted to a community settlement.

The underground Rakefet prison was opened in 1980 to house organised crime figures, but was closed in 1985 as its conditions were considered inhumane. It was re-opened in 2023 on the orders of Israel's security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to house Palestinian prisoners (according to Ben-Gvir, members of the Nukhba forces) following the 7 October attacks.[3]

In September 2011 a High Court of Justice ordered the Israel Lands Administration to allocate a plot of state land to an Arab couple, Fatina and Ahmed Zabeidat. The ruling came after the Arab couple was first denied a membership in the community.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b "Regional Statistics". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  2. ^ "Rakefet". Misgav Regional council. Archived from the original on 2011-07-25. Retrieved 2011-06-01.
  3. ^ Graham-Harrison, Emma (8 November 2025). "Israel's underground jail, where Palestinians are held without charge and never see daylight". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
  4. ^ Khoury, Jack (September 6, 2011). "Israeli Arab Couple Wins Legal Battle to Build Home in Northern Jewish Town". Haaretz. Retrieved May 27, 2019.