Trilingual road sign at entrance to Tekoa

Tekoa (Hebrew: תְּקוֹעַ‎‎) is an Israeli Jewish communal settlement and Israeli settlement in the northern Judean hills in the West Bank. Tekoa is within the municipal jurisdiction of the Gush Etzion Regional Council. The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.

View of Tekoa from Herodion.

Tekoa is an ancient town mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. The modern settlement was established in 1975 as a Nahal outpost. In 1977 it was handed over to civilian residents.^[3] The settlement is located on the top of a hill among ruins of the site of Jewish Tekoa, 5 miles south of Bethlehem at the foot of Herodion ("Herod's Palace").

Geography

Tekoa is located 2,177 feet (670 meters) above sea level on a ridge surrounded on three sides by a deep canyon, Nahal Tekoa, that runs east to the Dead Sea.^[4]

Demographics

Tekoa is populated by a mix of religious Zionists and secular Israelis. Many new immigrants from the former Soviet Union also live in Tekoa. The chief rabbi of Tekoa is Menachem Froman, who maintains close ties with PLO and Hamas leaders.^[5] Rabbi Froman teaches at the local hesder yeshiva headed by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz. ^[6]