Zohar

Zohar is a moshav located in the southern part of the occupied Palestinian territories, near Kiryat Gat. A large artificial lake, functioning as a reservoir, is situated nearby.

The moshav was established in 1956 by Zionist refugees from Algeria and Tunisia on land that formerly belonged to the depopulated Arab village of al-Faluja, as part of the broader effort to colonize the Hevel Lakhish area.

According to Walid Khalidi, however, the settlement of Zohar was established on land belonging to the depopulated Palestinian village of Brir. The name “Zohar” reflects the settlers’ aspiration to integrate quickly into what was then considered a remote border region. In later years, new immigrants from Iraq, Russia, and Hungary also settled in the area.

During the 1950s and 1960s, the moshav was a target of Palestinian fedayeen infiltrations into the occupied territories. As of 2021, the population of the settlement was 343 settlers.

Sources:
Due to the scarcity of Arabic sources, Hebrew sources were used: the settlement’s Hebrew website / Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics.
And the village of Brir from the Palestine Remembered website.