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{{Short description|Israeli settlement in the West Bank}}
{{pp-extended|small=yes}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Ariel
| native_name = {{Hlist
| {{Lang|he|{{Script/Hebrew|אֲרִיאֵל}}|rtl=yes}}
| {{Lang|ar|أريئيل|rtl=yes}}
}}
| settlement_type = [[List of cities in Israel|City]] (from 1998)
| translit_lang1 = Hebrew
| translit_lang1_type1 = [[ISO 259]]
| translit_lang1_info1 = ʔariˀel
| image_skyline = Ariel085.jpg
| image_blank_emblem = Coat of arms of Ariel.svg
| pushpin_map_alt =
| pushpin_map = Israel shomron#West Bank
| pushpin_mapsize =
| pushpin_label_position =
| pushpin_map_caption = Location of Ariel
| mapframe = yes
| mapframe-zoom = 12
| coordinates = {{coord|32|6|22|N|35|11|16|E|region:IL|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type1 = Region
| subdivision_name1 = [[West Bank]]
| subdivision_type2 = [[Districts of Israel|District]]
| subdivision_name2 =
[[Judea and Samaria Area]]
| established_title = Founded
| established_date = 1978
| leader_title = Mayor
| leader_name = [[Yair Chetboun]]
| unit_pref = dunam
| area_total_dunam = {{formatnum:14677|R}}
| population_footnotes = {{Israel populations|reference}}
| population_total = {{Israel populations|Ari'el}}
| population_as_of = {{Israel populations|Year}}
| population_density_km2 = auto
| blank_name_sec1 = Name meaning
| blank_info_sec1 = Lion of God
}}
'''Ariel''' ({{langx|he|אֲרִיאֵל}}; {{langx|ar|أريئيل}}) is an [[Israeli settlement]] organized as a [[City council (Israel)|city council]] in the central [[West Bank]], part of the [[Israeli-occupied territories]], approximately {{convert|20|km|mi}} east of the [[Green Line (Israel)|Green Line]] and {{convert|34|km|mi}} west of the Jordan border. Ariel was first established in 1978 and its population was {{Israel populations|Ari'el}} in {{Israel populations|Year}}, composed of veteran and young Israelis, English-speaking immigrants, and immigrants from the [[former Soviet Union]], with an additional influx of above 10,000 students from [[Ariel University]].<ref name="cbs populations">{{cite web| url= http://www.cbs.gov.il/population/new_2010/table3.pdf| publisher= [[Israel Central Bureau of Statistics]]|title=Table 3 – Population of Localities Numbering Above 2,000 Residents and Other Rural Population|date=2010-06-30|access-date=2010-10-30| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101121034400/http://cbs.gov.il/population/new_2010/table3.pdf| archive-date= 21 November 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref><ref name="ArielMunicipality">[http://www.ariel.muni.il/?CategoryID=155 Ariel municipality] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130208013028/http://www.ariel.muni.il/?CategoryID=155 |date=February 8, 2013 }} Official website</ref> It is the fourth largest Israeli settlement in the West Bank,<ref name="JP2010-01-29">{{cite news|url=https://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=167225|title=PM: Ariel is the 'capital of Samaria'|last=Lazaroff|first=Tovah|date=2010-01-29|work=The Jerusalem Post|access-date=16 October 2010}}</ref> after [[Modi'in Illit]], [[Beitar Illit]], and [[Ma'ale Adumim]].
The [[international community]] considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank [[International law and Israeli settlements|illegal under international law]], but the Israeli government disputes this.<ref name="BBC_GC4">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1682640.stm |title=The Geneva Convention |work=BBC News |date=10 December 2009 |access-date=27 November 2010 }}</ref>
Ariel's jurisdiction spans {{convert|14677|dunam|km2 sqmi|lk=in}},<ref name="profile">{{cite web|url=http://www.cbs.gov.il/publications/local_authorities2005/pdf/105_3570.pdf|title=Local Authorities in Israel 2005, Publication #1295 – Municipality Profiles – Ariel|publisher=[[Israel Central Bureau of Statistics]]|year=2005|access-date=2008-10-03|language=he}}</ref> and borders the Palestinian towns and villages [[Salfit]], [[Marda (village)|Marda]] and [[Iskaka]]. According to [[B'Tselem]], within Ariel's municipal area there are several enclaves of privately owned Palestinian land, whose owners are not allowed access to them.<ref name="BtselemAriel">{{cite web| title= Ariel settlement fact sheet| orig-year=30 August 2010| date=17 July 2012| publisher=[[B'tselem]]|access-date=15 March 2013| url= http://www.btselem.org/settlements/20100830_facts_on_the_settlement_of_ariel}}</ref>
==Etymology==
Ariel (pronounced Ari'el), literally means 'Lion of God'. "Ari" (Lion) in Hebrew is also a synonym for bravery and courage and it is also the symbol of the [[tribe of Judah]]. The city of Ariel is named after [[Jerusalem]].<ref>[http://www.ariel.muni.il/?CategoryID=174&ArticleID=270 Ariel Founder details Ariel's history] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130828193300/http://www.ariel.muni.il/?CategoryID=174&ArticleID=270 |date=August 28, 2013 }}</ref> Ariel in the [[Hebrew Bible]] is one of the names for [[Jerusalem]] and the [[Temple of Jerusalem]] (Isaiah 29:1–8).
==History==
Ariel was founded in 1978 on land that was seized for military needs and on land that was declared state land, including cultivated farmland of Palestinian villages in the district and on rocky land the villagers used for grazing their flocks.<ref name="BtselemAriel"/> At the beginning of 1978, a group of Israelis formed in order to create a settlement in the hills of the northern part of the West Bank made a formal request to the government to be given land to build a new community and were given three options by the army; the area near the 'lone tree' which would later become [[Barkan]], the area which would later become [[Kfar Tapuach]], and a hill near [[Kifl Hares]] that was known to the local Arabs as 'Jabel Mawat', the hill of death, because of inhospitable terrain.<ref name="Madmon">{{cite book | last=Madmon| first=Yifat| year=2008| title=Ariel, sipura shel ir | edition=1st |trans-title=Ariel, story of a city|page=20|language=he}}</ref> The leader of this group, [[Ron Nachman]], chose the latter because of its strategic ___location on a possible Jordanian invasion route towards Israel's main population centre of Tel Aviv. In the spring of 1978, some of the group's men erected tents on the chosen hilltop, and in August 1978, a total of forty families came to live in the settlement.{{Citation needed|date=November 2010}}
The original members of the group had gone through a screening process in order to put together a mix of skilled adults as well as young families that would be prepared psychologically to withstand starting a new settlement from scratch with little infrastructure and modern comforts. There were no paved roads or paths. Water was supplied periodically by a tanker truck. Electricity was provided by a generator since no electrical network existed in that area. Tents were replaced by [[Prefabrication|prefabricated]] concrete blocks which served as living quarters, schools, and an infirmary. On September 1, 1978, the school year was officially opened.{{Citation needed|date=November 2010}}
From 1978 to 1988, Ariel continued to develop, and established itself as the urban center for the nearby Israeli settlements. In 1980, the prefabricated homes were replaced with permanent housing. The College of Judea and Samaria, which would later become the Ariel University Center of Samaria, and eventually [[Ariel University]], was founded in 1982. Three elementary schools, a community center, a sports hall, and a synagogue were built. In May 1982, Ariel was connected to the national power grid.
During the [[Russian immigration to Israel in the 1990s|mass immigration]] of Jews from [[Soviet Union]] that began in 1989 and continued throughout the 1990s, Ariel, which had a population of 8,000 in 1990, experienced a population boom. Unlike in Israel proper, apartments in Ariel were plentiful and cheap, which proved attractive to the immigrants.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1314&dat=19900409&id=v2tXAAAAIBAJ&sjid=c_ADAAAAIBAJ&pg=6971,7983843 Soviet immigrants mark Passover] – [[The Spokesman Review]]. 9 April 1990</ref> Some 6,000 Soviet immigrants moved to Ariel, almost doubling its population.
In 2005, the residents of [[Netzarim (settlement)|Netzarim]], a former Israeli settlement in the Gaza Strip which had been [[Israel's unilateral disengagement plan|evacuated]], found temporary housing in the dormitories of the Ariel University Center of Samaria. At the beginning of the academic year, about one-third chose to settle permanently in Ariel, while the rest moved to [[Yevul]]. In 2007, the city began receiving immigrants from English-speaking countries such as the [[United States]], [[United Kingdom]], [[Canada]], and [[South Africa]] in significant numbers. Both religious and secular Jews reside in Ariel. The city has sixteen synagogues.
Nachman, a central figure in the [[Likud]] party, presided over Ariel from 1978 until his death in January 2013, at first as head of the local council and as mayor from 1985, when the settlement was officially recognized as a city.<ref>{{cite news| title=Ron Nachman, 'the last of the secular settlers,' who couldn't convince the Israeli public| author=Levinson, Chaim | newspaper=Haaretz | date= 19 January 2013|access-date=15 March 2013| url= https://www.haaretz.com/news/national/ron-nachman-the-last-of-the-secular-settlers-who-couldn-t-convince-the-israeli-public.premium-1.494930}}</ref> Nachman was succeeded as mayor in 2013 by Eliyahu Shaviro, who served as mayor until 2024, when Yoni Chetboun was elected as mayor.
On 15 November 2022, three Israelis were murdered during a [[2022 Ariel attack|terror attack]] near Ariel.
On 4 August 2025, [[Mike Johnson|US House Speaker Mike Johnson]] and [[Mike huckabee|US Ambassador Mike Huckabee]] visited Ariel where they were hosted by Mayor Yair Chetboun. They expressed support for this city, and to date were the highest ranking foreign government officials to visit Israeli communities in the West Bank.<ref>{{cite web | last=Sharon| first=Jeremy| title=S Speaker Johnson makes landmark visit to West Bank settlement of Ariel | website=[[Times of Israel]] | date=2025-08-04| url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-speaker-johnson-makes-landmark-visit-to-west-bank-settlement-of-ariel/ | access-date=2025-08-06}}</ref>
==Geography==
[[File:Ariel047.jpg|thumb|right|A neighborhood in Ariel]]
[[File:Ariel University Center cropped.jpg|thumb|right|[[Ariel University]]]]
[[File:Ariel030.jpg| thumb|[[World ORT|ORT]] Educational Center ''Yovaley-Ariel'']]
[[File:Ariel Universtity dormitory.jpg|thumb|Students dormitory of University Center]]
Ariel is situated between {{convert|17|km|mi}} and {{convert|22|km|mi}} east of the [[Green Line (Israel)|Green Line]],<ref name=Peacenow>[http://peacenow.org.il/eng/content/ariel-and-ariel-bloc ''Ariel and Ariel Bloc''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131010223825/http://peacenow.org.il/eng/content/ariel-and-ariel-bloc |date=2013-10-10 }}. Peacenow, May 2005</ref><ref>[https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vie/ariel.html Virtuel Israel Experience: Ariel] The American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise</ref> and {{convert|34|km|mi}} west of the [[Jordan River]], [[Jordan]]'s western border. Ariel is adjacent to the [[Palestinian Authority]] town of [[Salfit]] and southwest of [[Nablus]]. It is approximately {{convert|30|km|mi}} east of [[Petah Tikva]], and {{convert|42|km|mi}} east of Tel Aviv to which it is connected by the [[Highway 5 (Israel)|Highway 5]] and {{convert|60|km|mi}} northwest of [[Jerusalem]], to which it is connected by [[Highway 60 (Israel–Palestine)|Highway 60]].
Ariel's jurisdiction spans {{convert|14677|dunam|km2 sqmi|lk=in}},<ref name="profile"/> and borders the Palestinian towns and villages [[Salfit]], [[Marda (village)|Marda]] and [[Iskaka]]. Ariel's municipal area contains several enclaves of privately owned Palestinian land, whose owners are not allowed access to them.<ref name="BtselemAriel"/> The central water pumping station in Salfit has been polluted several times by overflow from the wastewater in Ariel.<ref name="BtselemAriel"/>
==Economy==
The city has several shopping centres and two industrial zones (divided into light and heavy industry), a [[library]]. In July 2008, Israel approved the construction of 27 new factories, which were expected to be completed by September 2009.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=107652|title=W. Bank city of Ariel gets OK for 27 new factories|author=Lazaroff, Tovah |work=The Jerusalem Post|date=2008-07-14|access-date=2010-01-18}}</ref>
== Israeli-Palestinian conflict ==
=== Status under international law ===
Like all Israeli settlements in the [[Israeli-occupied territories]], Ariel is considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.<ref>Patience, Martin [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4865124.stm Kadima victory concerns settlers] BBC, 31 March 2006</ref> A series of Israeli governments has insisted that Ariel be included within Israel's future borders under any future peace treaty.<ref name="kershner">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/10/world/middleeast/10ariel.html?_r=1|title=A West Bank Enclave Is on Edge|last=Kershner|first=Isabel|date=2010-09-09|work=New York Times|access-date=16 October 2010<!--DASHBot-->}}</ref> The [[Ministry of Interior (Israel)|Israeli Ministry of the Interior]] gave the municipality of Ariel the status of a [[city council (Israel)|city council]] in 1998. In January 2010, [[Prime Minister of Israel|Prime Minister]] [[Benjamin Netanyahu]], accompanied by leading figures in his governing coalition, declared Ariel the "capital of [[Samaria]]", and "an integral part of Israel".<ref name="JP2010-01-29"/> In December 2010, thirty-five MKs petitioned the government to annex Ariel to Israel.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20111007071446/http://www.paltelegraph.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7654%3AKnesset-members-demand-annexation-of-Ariel-settlement&catid=59%3Awest-bank&Itemid=135 "Knesset members demand annexation of Ariel settlement"]}}, ''The Palestine Telegraph'', 4 December 2010.</ref> Palestinian representatives have opposed the incorporation of Ariel into Israel in any future settlement, arguing that the Ariel 'finger' would interrupt the territorial integrity of a Palestinian state and includes a major [[aquifer]]. Ariel's future is thus not clear: "as well as an obstacle to an Israeli-Palestinian agreement, it could also serve as a crucial trade-off for negotiators hammering out a final deal."<ref name="kershner"/> [[McDonald's Israel]], the local subsidiary of the international fast food chain, turned down an offer to open a restaurant in Ariel in June 2013, citing its declared policy not to open any branches in West Bank settlements across the Green Line.<ref>{{cite news|last=Efrati|first=Ido|title=McDonald's Israel refuses to open branch across Green Line|url=https://www.haaretz.com/news/mcdonald-s-israel-refuses-to-open-branch-across-green-line.premium-1.532233/|access-date=27 June 2013|newspaper=Haaretz|date=June 26, 2013}}</ref>
In August 2025, U.S. [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|House Speaker]] [[Mike Johnson]], one of the highest-ranking American officials ever to visit an Israeli settlement in the West Bank, traveled to Ariel, where he delivered a speech at a celebratory event attended by Ariel Mayor Yair Chetboun and other West Bank settlement leaders. During his remarks, Johnson declared that the "mountains of [[Judea]] and [[Samaria]]" belong to the Jewish people "by right."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sharon |first=Jeremy |date=2025-08-04 |title=US speaker says West Bank belongs to Jews ‘by right’ in settlement visit |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/us-speaker-says-west-bank-belongs-to-jews-by-right-in-settlement-visit/ |work=The Times of Israel}}</ref>
=== West Bank barrier ===
The [[Israeli West Bank barrier]] was originally planned to extend out from the Israeli border to Ariel. Under American political pressure, the "finger", as the extension of the fence to include Ariel is often called, was not built. Instead, Ariel has a security fence surrounding it on only three sides.<ref>Westervelt, Eric. [https://www.npr.org/news/specials/2009/israelbarrier/part3.html "Israeli Settlement Seeks Protection"], ''National Public Radio''</ref>
=== First Intifada ===
In mid-1989, during the [[First Intifada]], the settlement came under controversy after the mayor ordered all Palestinians working in the settlement to wear visible badges identifying them as "foreign workers." The order was criticised across the political spectrum in Israel, including Likud MK [[Ehud Olmert]] who called it "insensitive and unwise" and [[Ratz (political party)|Ratz]] MK [[Yossi Sarid]] who said he was "disgusted," with some commentators comparing the order to the [[yellow badge]]s imposed by Nazi Germany on Jews.<ref>{{cite web|date=1 June 1989|title=In West Bank, Jewish Settlement's Security Move Sets Off Uproar|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/06/01/world/in-west-bank-jewish-settlement-s-security-move-sets-off-uproar.html|author-last=|author-first=|access-date=2 January 2025|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=1 June 1989|title=Likud Minister Criticizes Town for Requiring 'alien Worker' Tag|url=https://www.jta.org/archive/likud-minister-criticizes-town-for-requiring-alien-worker-tag|author-last=|author-first=|access-date=2 January 2025|work=[[Jewish Telegraphic Agency]]}}</ref> The settlement's mayor criticised the comparisons to Nazi Germany, saying that "only a warped mind, ignorance and stupidity" could compare the situation to "the security needs of every settlement in Judea, Samaria and Israel." However, the settlement subsequently reversed the order.<ref>{{cite web|date=5 June 1989|title=Town of Ariel Backs Down, Scraps Idea for Arab Tags|url=https://www.jta.org/archive/town-of-ariel-backs-down-scraps-idea-for-arab-tags|author-last=|author-first=|access-date=2 January 2025|work=[[Jewish Telegraphic Agency]]}}</ref>
==Education and culture==
Ariel is home to the [[Ariel University]], founded in 1982 as the College of Judea and Samaria. In 2010, the university had a student population of 11,500, both [[Israelis|Israeli]] and [[Palestinian]].<ref>[https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3970752,00.html 500 Arabs begin studies in Ariel]</ref> In 2007, it changed its name to Ariel University Center of Samaria, a change that was officially recognized in 2010. In 2012, it received accreditation as a research university.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=Fg0FEAAAQBAJ&dq=ariel+university+name+change+2007&pg=PA188 The Israeli Settler Movement: Assessing and Explaining Social Movement Success, Sivan Hirsch-Hoefler, Cas Mudde], [[Cambridge University Press]]</ref>
The state-funded [[Ariel Center for the Performing Arts]] opened on November 8, 2010, with a performance of [[Piaf (play)|Piaf]] by the [[Beersheba Theater]] company.<ref>{{cite news |first=Chaim |last=Levinson |title=Major theaters raise curtain across Green Line |newspaper=[[Haaretz]] |date=25 August 2010 |url=https://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/major-theaters-raise-curtain-across-green-line-1.310040}}</ref> These performances were [[boycott]]ed by sixty Israeli actors, writers, and directors, including [[Joshua Sobol]], who refuse to perform in settlements. Prime Minister [[Benjamin Netanyahu]], Culture Minister [[Limor Livnat]] and the leader of the [[Kadima Party]] [[Tzipi Livni]] condemned the boycott and proposed cutting government funding those participating in it.<ref>{{cite news |first=Dan |last=Williams |title=Israeli actors boycott theatres in settlements |newspaper=Reuters AlertNet |date=29 August 2010 |url=http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LDE67S04H.htm}}</ref><ref>Macintyre, Donald. [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/israeli-actors-refuse-to-take-the-stage-in-settlement-theatre-2065489.html "Israeli actors refuse to take the stage in settlement theatre"], ''[[The Independent]]'', 30 August 2010</ref> The boycott was supported by 150 academics including [[Amos Oz]], [[David Grossman]] and [[A. B. Yehoshua]],<ref>Fyler, Boaz. [http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3946485,00.html "Yehoshua, Oz, Grossman back boycott of Ariel"], ''Ynet News" 30 August 2010</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=wpengine |date=2010-09-06 |title=Israeli Artists Condemn Settlements |url=https://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/2010/09/06/israeli-artists-condemn-settlements/ |access-date=2025-05-06 |website=JVP |language=en-US}}</ref> It was opposed by [[Amnon Shamosh]], who suggested that the boycott plays into the hands of right-wing extremists by linking art and politics.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3982789,00.html |title=Culture has no borders |first=Amnon |last=Shamosh |date=November 11, 2010}}</ref> 150 U.S. actors supported the boycott.<ref>[http://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/campaigns/making-history-support-israeli-artists-who-say-no-normalizing-settlements-4 Israeli Artists Condemn Settlements] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121220091537/http://jewishvoiceforpeace.org/campaigns/making-history-support-israeli-artists-who-say-no-normalizing-settlements-4 |date=2012-12-20 }}, [[Jewish Voice for Peace]]</ref> However, five Israeli actors later withdrew from the boycott, indicating that they changed their mind or thought the letter they were signing called for a discussion on the issue rather than outright boycott.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/139380 |title=Five Actors Withdraw from Ariel Boycott |first=Maayana |last=Miskin |date=August 29, 2010}}</ref>
==International relations==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Israel}}
===Twin towns/ Sister cities===
Ariel is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with:
*{{flagicon|CRC}} [[Heredia, Costa Rica]]<ref name="Ariel">{{Cite news|title=Gemini Sign|author=Hodorov, Irit|publisher=[[Yedioth Ahronoth]]|work=Yediot Petah Tikva|date=2008-09-26}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Mobile, Alabama]], [[United States]]<ref name="Ariel" /><ref name="Mobile">{{cite web|title=Mobile's Sister Cities |work=City of Mobile|url=http://ncsmobile.org/sister_cities.php |access-date=2013-07-22}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|MDA}} [[Ceadîr-Lunga]], [[Moldova]]
*{{flagicon|ALB}} [[Divjakë]], [[Albania]]
==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
==External links==
{{Wikivoyage|Ariel}}
{{Commons category|Ariel (city)}}
* [http://www.ariel.muni.il/ Ariel municipality] Home page Hebrew
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20250315042343/https://en.ariel.muni.il:443/# Ariel municipality] Home page English (archived March 2025)
* [http://www.ariel.ac.il/en Ariel University] Home page English
* [http://www.arieltarbut.co.il/ Ariel Center For The Performing Arts] Home page Hebrew
{{Judea and Samaria}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ariel (City)}}
[[Category:Ariel (Israeli settlement)| ]]
[[Category:Mixed Israeli settlements]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1978]]
[[Category:Israeli settlements in the West Bank]]
[[Category:1978 establishments in the Israeli Military Governorate]]
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