Shitim

Shitim שיטים‎ شيتيم
Shitim Shitim
Coordinates: 30°10′36″N 35°00′59″E
Country	Israel
District	Southern
Council	Hevel Eilot
Founded	1984
Population  (2019)	4

Shitim (Hebrew: שיטים) is a community settlement in southern Israel. Located in the Arabah valley, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hevel Eilot Regional Council. In 2019 it had a population of 4.

History

The village was established in 1984 as a Nahal settlement, with soldiers often living at the site following the end of a combat role and working in nearby kibbutzim. In the early 1990s, the nearby army base was taken over by a different battalion, which largely operated in the West Bank. This caused disruption in the day-to-day agricultural activities of the village and it was abandoned by the IDF in 1997, with the site given to kibbutz Ketura. Attempts to establish a civilian village at the site failed and the settlement was dismantled.

In 2002 a group of followers of Rajneesh founded a guesthouse on the site under the name 'Ashram BaMidbar' (Ashram in the Desert), with people working at the guesthouse re-establishing the village.