History
In Biblical times, Beit El was the site where Jacob slept and dreamt of the angels coming up and down a ladder (Genesis 28:19). Beit El has been identified with the ruins surrounding the Palestinian village of Beitin and with hilltop site of Pisgat Ya'akov.
Beit El was established in 1977, ten years after the Six Day War. Several families moved into the Israel Defense Forces base and others settled on nearby hilltops. In September 1997, Beit El was awarded local council status. 1,200 families now reside in Beit El, most affiliated with the Religious Zionist Movement. Its Ulpana neighbourhood was established in 1999. A stop-work order was issued by an Israeli court as early as September of that year, but construction has continued, notwithstanding a demolition order issued by the High Court in 2008 after Palestinians from the village of Dura al-Qar' appealed to the High Court of Israel.
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