Beit Yatir

Beit Yatir / Metzadot Yehuda בית יתיר‎ / מְצָדוֹת יְהוּדָה
Beit Yatir / Metzadot Yehuda
Coordinates: 31°22′00″N 35°06′42″E / 31.36667°N 35.11167°E / 31.36667; 35.11167
District	Judea and Samaria Area
Council	Har Hevron
Region	West Bank
Affiliation	Amana
Founded	1979
Population  (2022)[1]	696

Beit Yatir (Hebrew: בית יתיר), officially Metzadot Yehuda (Hebrew: מְצָדוֹת יְהוּדָה), is an Israeli settlement in the southern Hebron Hills of the West Bank, organized as a religious-Zionist Orthodox moshav. Located on a hill, 900 metres above sea level, near the Green Line, south of Susiya, and close to the Palestinian village of as-Seefer,^[2] it falls under the jurisdiction of Har Hevron Regional Council. In 2022, it had a population of 696.^[1]

The ruins of the ancient town of Eshtemoa are nearby.

The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.^[3]

Beit Yatir was established in 1979 by students from the Mercaz HaRav Yeshiva. In 1983, the moshav was moved southwest from its original location south of the town of as-Samu to its current location in the Yatir Forest. A visual landmark of the moshav is a high wind turbine.

The social make-up of the moshav residents varies between sabras to immigrants from various countries, including France, Russian, Brazil, and English-speaking countries. The moshav does not require residents to become members of the cooperative.

A Religious Pre-Army Mechina, with several dozen students enrolled, is headed by Rabbi Moshe Hagar.

• Beit Yatir Amana
• Mechina website