11 points in the Negev
11 points in the Negev refers to a Jewish Agency plan for establishing eleven settlements in the Negev in 1946, prior to the establishment of the State of Israel.History
A plan to establish eleven "points" of Jewish settlement in the Negev was devised in order to assure a Jewish presence in the area prior to the partition of Palestine. This followed the publication of the Morrison-Grady partition proposal, in which the Negev was excluded from Jewish state and settlement there would be prohibited. Together, the Jewish National Fund, the Jewish Agency, the Haganah and the Mekorot water company launched a drive to settle the Negev and hopefully retain it as part of a Jewish state.
On the night of October 5–6, after the Yom Kippur fast, the settlers, included members of Kibbutz Ruhama and Gvulot, set up camp at eleven pre-determined locations in the Negev. The eleven settlements were :
- Be'eri
- Gal On
- Hatzerim
- Kedma
- Kfar Darom
- Mishmar HaNegev
- Nevatim
- Nirim
- Shoval
- Tkuma
- Urim
Today a museum celebrating the eleven points is located in Revivim. In 1996 Israel Post released a stamp celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of their settlement.