in 2005, the residents of netzarim, a former israeli settlement in the gaza strip which had been evacuated, found temporary housing in the dormitories of the ariel university center of samaria. at the beginning of the academic year, about one-third chose to settle permanently in ariel, while the rest moved to yevul. in 2007, the city began receiving immigrants from english-speaking countries such as the united states, united kingdom, canada, and south africa in significant numbers.