Gilgal, Bik'at HaYarden
Gilgal (Hebrew: גִּלְגָּל) is an Israeli settlement organized as a kibbutz in the West Bank. Located in the Jordan Valley around 16 kilometres north of Jericho with an area of 1,400 dunams, it falls under the jurisdiction of Bik'at HaYarden Regional Council. In 2022 it had a population of 229.
The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.
History
Gilgal was established in 1970 as a Nahal settlement, and was named for the ancient biblical site of Gilgal. It was converted to a civilian kibbutz in 1973.
According to ARIJ, in order to construct Gilgal, Israel confiscated land in 1970 from two Palestinian villages: 858 dunams from Fasayil, and 268 dunams from Al-Auja.
Economy
Gilgal has invested millions of dollars in state-of-the-art water technology to boost its production of medjool dates. The system is based on the utilization of wastewater.
Climate
| Climate data for Gilgal (–255m) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 28.0 (82.4) |
33.5 (92.3) |
40.5 (104.9) |
44.7 (112.5) |
46.5 (115.7) |
47.5 (117.5) |
48.1 (118.6) |
49.0 (120.2) |
45.7 (114.3) |
44.2 (111.6) |
37.9 (100.2) |
32.5 (90.5) |
49.0 (120.2) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 20.1 (68.2) |
21.6 (70.9) |
25.6 (78.1) |
30.3 (86.5) |
35.6 (96.1) |
38.7 (101.7) |
40.4 (104.7) |
40.0 (104.0) |
37.7 (99.9) |
33.8 (92.8) |
27.7 (81.9) |
22.1 (71.8) |
31.1 (88.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 14.5 (58.1) |
15.5 (59.9) |
18.7 (65.7) |
22.8 (73.0) |
27.3 (81.1) |
30.5 (86.9) |
32.4 (90.3) |
32.5 (90.5) |
30.5 (86.9) |
26.9 (80.4) |
21.1 (70.0) |
16.4 (61.5) |
24.1 (75.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 8.9 (48.0) |
9.4 (48.9) |
11.8 (53.2) |
15.3 (59.5) |
19.1 (66.4) |
22.3 (72.1) |
24.5 (76.1) |
25.0 (77.0) |
23.2 (73.8) |
19.9 (67.8) |
14.4 (57.9) |
10.6 (51.1) |
17.0 (62.7) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 0.3 (32.5) |
0.0 (32.0) |
2.5 (36.5) |
3.0 (37.4) |
11.2 (52.2) |
15.2 (59.4) |
20.0 (68.0) |
19.5 (67.1) |
14.0 (57.2) |
12.1 (53.8) |
4.6 (40.3) |
0.2 (32.4) |
0.0 (32.0) |
| Source: Israel Meteorological Service | |||||||||||||
See also
- Gilgal I, early Neolithic site (11,400–11,200 BP) near the kibbutz, with earliest findings of fig tree cultivation in the world
- Judean date palm