Elkana

For other uses, see Elkanah (name).

Elkana אֶלְקָנָה‎‎ القناة‎
Hebrew transcription(s)
• ISO 259	ʔelqana
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Official logo of Elkana Logo
Elkana
Coordinates:
Region	West Bank
District	Judea and Samaria Area
Founded	1977
Government
• Type	Local council (from 1981)
• Head of Municipality	Asaf Mintzer
Area
• Total	1,148 dunams (1.148 km2 or 284 acres)
Population (2015)
• Total	3,929
Name meaning	Named after Elkanah

Elkana or Elqana (Hebrew: אֶלְקָנָה‎) is an Israeli settlement and local council in the north-western Samarian hills in the West Bank. Elkana is situated just to 3.1 km the east of the Green Line and the city of Rosh HaAyin. It was founded in 1977 by a group from Gush Emunim of religious and non-religious Jews. As of 2015, it had a population of 3,929 people.

The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.

History

Elkana was established as one of the earliest settlements after 64 Knesset members signed a bill to allow the use of state land in the area for construction. On 1 May 1977, fifteen men climbed the hill and started preparing the area for families for the official day on 10 May. Amongst the first families to move to the settlement was that of the former Chief of Staff Shaul Mofaz ten days later. Elkana became the fourth community to be established by the Seventeenth government of Israel headed by Yitzhak Rabin, following the Kadum outpost, Ofra, and Ma'ale Adumim. A few months later, forty families had moved into prefabricated home's called 'ashkubiot' and after two years, over a hundred families lived in the village.

In 1983, the first permanent structures were built as the village was divided into different neighbourhoods named after the amount of homes planned in each one: 220, 165, 80, and 34 (also called Bnai Elkana). More recently, two newer neighbourhoods have been built; One on the northern side of the town as well as another smaller one to the west.

In November 2013 Israel published plans for 283 new homes to be built in Elkana. In January 2014 they received permission for the homes, and on 5 September 2014 announced tenders for the units.

The town was named after the nearby Nahal Qana and Elkanah, father of Samuel (1 Samuel 1:1), who is believed to have lived in the area. Virtually all of the town's residents are religious of a primarily national religious orientation.

The Trans-Samarian Highway previously cut through the town until 2000 when the road, which now skirts to the south, was upgraded.

Notable residents

• Nissan Slomiansky (b. 1946), Israel politician (The Jewish Home)