Category:West BankViewed: 2411Downloads: 0Keywordsconflictgush etzionhillshousingisraeljudean desertjudean hillsmiddle eastoccupationpalestinepalestinian territotiessettlementtekoateqoawest bankDescription: Tekoa is an Israeli Jewish communal settlement in the northern Judean hills in the West Bank. Founded in 1975 as a Nahal outpost, in 1977 it was handed over to civilian residents. The settlement is located on the top of a hill among ruins of the site of Jewish Biblical Tekoa, 5 miles south of Bethlehem, and near Herodion ("Herod's Palace"). The town's population consists of both religiously observant and secular residents, as well as many new immigrants from the Commonwealth of Independent States. Tekoa is within the municipal jurisdiction of the Gush Etzion Regional Council.