Yavne-Yam

Meṣad Hashavyahu is an ancient fortress on the border of the Iron Age Kingdom of Judah facing the Philistine city of Ashdod near the Mediterranean Sea. It lies 1.7 kilometres (1.1 mi) south of the seaport Yavne-Yam (the seaport) and 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) northwest of the main city of Yavne. The original name of the fort is unknown but was given the name found on several inscribed ostraca recovered at the site. The site covers an area of approximately 1.5 acres (6,100 m2). The Yavne-Yam ostracon was found in the excavations.

Palmachim (Hebrew: פַּלְמַחִים) is a kibbutz in central Israel. Located about ten kilometers south of the Tel Aviv area along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, among the sand dunes, it falls under the jurisdiction of Gan Raveh Regional Council. In 2019 it had a population of 689.

Palmachim Airbase (Hebrew: בָּסִיס חֵיל-הַאֲוִויר פַּלְמַחִים, ICAO: LLPL) is an Israeli Air Force (IAF) base and spaceport located near the city of Yavne on the Mediterranean coast, 12 km south of Tel Aviv. It is named after the nearby Kibbutz Palmachim. The base is home to several IAF helicopter and UAV squadrons. It is used to launch the Shavit space launch vehicle into retrograde orbit by launching over the Mediterranean, acting as Israel's primary spaceport. Since the end of the 1960s Palmachim is used to test ballistic missiles, such as the Jericho and later the Arrow.The launchpad is situated at 31°53′04″N 34°40′49″E. This ensures that rocket debris falls into water, and that the rocket does not fire over regional neighboring countries near Israel that could use the technology. The first operational Arrow 2 missile battery in Israel was deployed in March 2000 southeast of the airbase (see map in gallery). It was declared operational in October 2000, and reached its full capacity in March 2001.The Arrow system is operated by the Israeli Air Defense Command, based on Palmachim. This is a division of the Israeli Air and Space Force and supplements the aircraft squadrons at the Air Force bases (see photo in gallery).In July 2007, it was agreed that once Sde Dov Airport in Tel Aviv was closed, its military terminal would be transferred to Palmachim. The terminal was transferred when Sde Dov Airport ceased operations in July 2019. Recent launches include: 11 June 2007 - Ofeq-7 satellite 17 January 2008 - version of the Jericho III missile 22 June 2010 - Ofeq-9 satellite 2 November 2011 - version of the Jericho III missile 9 April 2014 - Ofeq-10 satellite 13 September 2016 - Ofeq-11 satellite 29 May 2017 - rocket propulsion system test launch 6 July 2020 - Ofeq-16 reconnaissance satellite 28 March 2023 - Ofeq-13 SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) reconnaissance satellite

The Soreq Nuclear Research Center is a research and development institute situated near the localities of Palmachim and Yavne in Israel. It operates under the auspices of the Israel Atomic Energy Commission (IAEC). The center conducts research in various physical sciences, particularly the development of many kinds of sensors, lasers, atmospheric research, non-destructive testing techniques, space environment, nuclear safety, medical diagnostics and nuclear medicine. Soreq also produces various types of radiopharmaceuticals for use by health care organizations throughout the country. Some of the institute's research facilities include an AMF 5 MW pool-type light water nuclear reactor supplied in the late 1950s from the United States under the Atoms for Peace program and a 10 MeV proton cyclotron accelerator, as well as extensive laboratory and testing facilities. Currently under construction is a 5-40 MeV, 0.04-5 mA proton and deuteron superconducting linear accelerator scheduled for commissioning in 2013. The center is named after the nearby stream of Soreq. The center operates under the safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Al-Nabi Rubin (Arabic: النبي روبين, transliteration: an-Nabî Rûbîn) was a Palestinian village in central Palestine region, what is now Israel, located 14.5 kilometers (9.0 mi) west of Ramla, just northeast of Yibna and 18 kilometers (11 mi) south of Jaffa. The village was situated on the southern banks of Wadi al-Sarar, known in Hebrew as Sorek Stream, at an elevation of 25 meters (82 ft) above sea level. Nabi Rubin is named after a shrine in the village, believed by Muslims to be the tomb of Reuben, first son of Jacob. It was captured by the Israel Defense Forces during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, and the inhabitants were expelled.

Yavne West railway station is a passenger railway station in Yavne, Israel and is one of two railway stations in the city (the other being Yavne East). The station is located between the Rishon LeZion Moshe Dayan railway station to the north and the Ashdod railway station to the south. Yavne West is adjacent to Yavne's central bus station in the western part of the city and is located next to the Yavne Interchange on Highway 4.

On 2 August 2017, a 19-year old Palestinian teen critically injured an Israeli civilian with a knife at a local supermarket in the city of Yavne, located in the Central District of Israel. The attacker was subsequently arrested after being captured by civilians who were at the spot. Police confirmed the attack was an act of terrorism.The perpetrator was later identified as Ismail Abu Aram, resident of Yatta, Hebron, located in the West Bank.

Yavne (Hebrew: יַבְנֶה) or Yavneh is a city in the Central District of Israel. In many English translations of the Bible, it is known as Jabneh . During Greco-Roman times, it was known as Jamnia (Ancient Greek: Ἰαμνία Iamníā; Latin: Iamnia); to the Crusaders as Ibelin; and before 1948, as Yibna (Arabic: يبنى).

Kfar HaNagid (Hebrew: כְּפַר הַנָּגִיד, lit. Village of the Prince), is a moshav in central Israel. Located in the coastal plain around 20 km south of Tel Aviv and north of Yavne, it falls under the jurisdiction of Gan Raveh Regional Council. In 2019 it had a population of 1,260.

Gan Sorek (Hebrew: גַּן שׂוֹרֵק, lit. Sorek Garden) is a moshav in central Israel. Located in the coastal plain around four kilometres south-west of Rishon LeZion and covering 700 dunams, it falls under the jurisdiction of Gan Raveh Regional Council. In 2019 it had a population of 694.

Highway 42 is a north-south highway in central Israel. It leads from just south of Ashdod Interchange in the south to Gan Rave interchange in the north. The road is 19 km (12 mi) long.

Gan Raveh Regional Council (Hebrew: מועצה אזורית גן רווה, Mo'atza Ezorit Gan Raveh) is a regional council in the Central District of Israel. The council's area of jurisdiction extends to nine settlements: a kibbutz, six moshavim, a yeshuv kehilati and a youth village. In 2017, the total population was 6,026. The council serves Ayanot, Beit Hanan, Beit Oved, Ge'alya, Gan Sorek, Irus, Kfar HaNagid, Neta'im, and Palmachim. 'Gan Raveh' means well-watered garden and these are words in a biblical verse of Isaiah, which are reproduced on the signs of some of the council's villages, including Ayanot. The head of the local council is Shlomo Elimelech.