Har Adar

Found in: Israeli settlements Local councils in Israel

Har Adar is an Israeli settlement and local council in the West Bank, in the Seam Zone and the Maccabim sub-region of the Judea and Samaria area. It was founded in 1982 and has a population of 2,400. It is located on Road 425 next to Abu Ghosh and the Green Line, about west of Jerusalem. Har Adar is ranked high on the Israeli socio-economic scales, at 9/10.

History and name

The location of Har Adar was named Radar Hill , for the World War II British military installation there which had an anti-air radar for the protection of Jerusalem. The installation was handed over to the Jordanian Arab Legion on May 10, 1948, prior to the second phase of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. 23 attempts by the Palmach's Harel Brigade to conquer it failed, although the Jewish force held the position for four days starting May 22, 1948. It was finally captured in the Six-Day War by an armored brigade, also called Harel. A monument for the fallen soldiers of the brigade stands at the top of the town.

The current settlement was founded in 1982 by the Radar Hill Organization. Har Adar (lit. Mount Adar) was a similar-sounding Hebrew name given to the hill and the settlement.

Demographics

In 2005, the population of Har Adar was 99.4% Jewish, with an additional 0.5% being other non-Arabs. Out of the 2,300 residents, 1,200 were men, and 1,100 women. The age distribution was as follows:

Economy

Har Adar is ranked 9/10 (high) on the Israeli socio-economic scale. According to Business Data Israel (BDI), in 2006 Har Adar had the most stable economic situation of all Israeli local councils, along with Kfar Shmaryahu. In 2006, the municipal surplus stood at NIS 354,000.

In 2005, there were 1,052 salaried workers in Har Adar. The average salary for makes was NIS 18,142, and 8,342 for women - both far higher than the national average. 28.3% salaried workers worked for minimum wage. In addition, there were 113 self-employed workers, with an average income of NIS 9,816.