Be'er Ora

Be'er Ora (Hebrew: בְּאֵר אוֹרָה) is a community settlement 19 kilometers north of Eilat in the far south of Israel.[2] Located in the Arava region, just west of Highway 90, north of kibbutz Eilot, and south of Elifaz and Timna Park, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hevel Eilot Regional Council. In 2018 its population was 965.[1]

Be'er Ora

בְּאֵר אוֹרָה
Be'er Ora
Be'er Ora
Coordinates: 29°42′39.95″N 34°58′44.76″E
Country Israel
DistrictSouthern
CouncilHevel Eilot
Founded2001
Population
 (2018)[1]
965
Name meaningWell of light

History

Before the settlement was founded, Be'er Ora was previously the site of an Israeli army base. In 1968, Be'er Ora was the site of the bombing of a school bus carrying Israeli high school students, an incident that led to Israeli Defense Forces retaliating against a Palestine Liberation Organization base in neighboring Jordan in the Battle of Karameh. [3]

The current Be'er Ora settlement was founded in 2001 as part of a program to populate the Arava and to bring people from central Israel to the Negev, which was determined to be a preferred place for new settlement. Previously there was a Gadna army base, also called Be'er Ora, in that location. The word "Be'er" means "well of water". Before the community was established, there was a well within its area that served as the first source of fresh water for Eilat, before Eilat was connected to the national water network.

The word "Ora" (light) is borrowed from the nearby Ora Mountain and Ora Creek.

Aviation

In 2004, the government decided to move Eilat Airport to an empty area near Be'er Ora. This decision was made because the airport in Eilat is located very close to residential and commercial areas (planes landing in Eilat pass directly over a large shopping mall). Named Ramon Airport, to opened in 2019.

References
  1. "Population in the Localities 2018" (XLS). Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. 25 August 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  2. Plans being drawn up for Eilat: A new airport at Be'er Ora Ha'aretz, 13 January 2002
  3. Myra Williamson, Terrorism, War and International Law: The Legality of the Use of Force Against Afghanistan in 2001 (Routledge, 2016) p127
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