title: Netiv HaGdud
text: # Netiv HaGdud
  
  Netiv HaGdud (Hebrew: נְתִיב הַגְּדוּד, lit. 'Path of the Battalion') is an Israeli settlement organized as a moshav in the West Bank. Located in the Jordan Valley around twenty kilometres north of Jericho, it falls under the jurisdiction of Bik'at HaYarden Regional Council. In 2021 it had a population of 220.
  
  The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.
  
  ## History
  
  According to ARIJ, in order to construct Netiv HaGdud, Israel confiscated land from two nearby Palestinian villages: 215 dunams(215000 $m^2)$ from Fasayil, and 993 dunams (993,000 $m^2)$ from Al-Auja.
  
  The settlement was established in April 1975 by members who had been preparing in Ma'ale Efraim, and was named after the 38th Battalion of the Jewish legion, which fought in the Jordan Valley during World War I. In May 1977 it moved to its present site.
  
  A nearby archaeological site, which has been excavated by Ofer Bar-Yosef amongst others, has produced remains from the Neolithic era, including Pre-Pottery Neolithic A.
  
  