Samaria

Samaria, Sumaria or Shomron (Hebrew שֹׁמְרוֹן, Standard Hebrew Šoməron, Tiberian Hebrew Šōmərôn, Arabic سامريّون Sāmariyyūn (but commonly called in Arabic ???? ????? Jibal Nablus), in the New Testament Greek ????????) is a term used for the mountainous northern part of the area on the west bank of the Jordan River. The word is perhaps from shâmar, 'to watch,' hence meaning something like 'outlook'; but, according to 1 Kings 16:24, derived from the individual Shemer, from whom Omri purchased the site.

Political control

Samaria was taken by Israeli forces from Jordan during the 1967 Six-Day War. Jordan subsequently withdrew its claim to the West Bank, including Samaria, in 1988, which was later confirmed by the Israeli-Jordanian peace treaty of 1993. Jordan instead recognizes the Palestinian Authority as sovereign in the territory. In the 1994 Oslo accords, responsibility for the administration over some of the territory of Samaria was transferred to the Palestinian Authority.

Related Topics:
Six-Day War - Palestinian Authority - Oslo accords

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Israel has been criticized for the policy of establishing settlements in Samaria. Israel's position is that the legal status of the land is unclear, while the United Nations and the European Union disagree. See Israeli settlements.

Related Topics:
United Nations - European Union - Israeli settlements

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