Turmus Ayya

The Road of the Patriarchs or Way of the Patriarchs (Hebrew: דֶּרֶךְ הֲאָבוֹת Derech haʾAvot Lit. Way (of) the Fathers), is an ancient north–south route traversing the land of Israel and the region of Palestine. The modern Highway 60 (Israel-Palestine) follows roughly the route of the Way of the Patriarchs. The name is used by biblical scholars because of mentions in biblical narratives that it was frequently travelled by Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.It is also called the Hill Road or the Ridge Route because it follows the watershed ridge line of the Samarian and Judaean Mountains. It runs from Megiddo and Hazor south to Beersheba by way of Shechem, Bethel, Jerusalem, Ephrath and Hebron. Unlike the Via Maris and the King's Highway which were international roads crossing the territories of many peoples, the Ridge Route was wholly within the territory of ancient Israel.

Shilo (Hebrew: שִׁלֹה / שילה Šîlô) is an Israeli settlement in the northern West Bank. Located 28 miles (45 km) north of Jerusalem on Route 60 and organised as a religious community settlement, it is neighboured by the Israeli settlements of Eli and Maale Levona and the Palestinian villages Sinjil, Turmus Ayya and Qaryut, and falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Binyamin Regional Council. In 2021 it had a population of 4,783 (the official census includes the population of Shvut Rachel and additional unincorporated communities to its east). The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.

Sinjil (Arabic: سنجل) is a Palestinian town northeast of Ramallah in the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate in the central West Bank.

Khirbet Abu Falah (Arabic: خربة ابو فلاح, translates to "Ruins of the Farmer's Father") is a Palestinian village in the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate, located 26 kilometers (16 mi) north of Ramallah in the central West Bank. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), the village had a population of 4,394 in the 2017 census.

Givat Harel (Hebrew: גבעת הראל) is an Israeli outpost in the West Bank, illegally established in 1998 mostly on Palestinian private lands. It falls under the jurisdiction of the Mateh Binyamin Regional Council in the northern West Bank, north of Nahal Shilo. Givat Harel is situated just off Highway 60 (Israel-Palestine), next to the Palestinian village of Sinjil, whose lands were "forcefully seized by Israeli settlers" in order to construct Givat Harel. The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law. Outposts like Givat Harel, additionally, are considered illegal even under Israeli law.

Shvut Rachel (Hebrew: שבות רחל) is a former Israeli settlement in the West Bank, retroactively designated a neighborhood of the settlement of Shilo, in the West Bank. Shvut Rachel sits between the Palestinian villages of Turmus Ayya, Qaryut and Jalud, part of whose lands were expropriated for building Shvut Rachel. Nearby Israeli settlements include Shilo, Giv'at Har'el, Esh Kodesh, Keeda, and Adei Ad. The village, administrated by the Matte Binyamin Regional Council, has a population of 100 families. The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this. The Sasson Report in 2005 noted that the settlement extends over Palestinian land, part of which is owned by Fawzi Haj Ibrahim Mohammad from Jalud, turned over to the settlement after the Israeli authorities declared it state land.

al-Mazra'a ash-Sharqiya (Arabic: المزرعه الشرقيّه) is a Palestinian town in the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate, located northeast of Ramallah in the northern West Bank. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), the town had a population of 4,063 inhabitants in 2017.

Qaryout (Arabic: قريوت) is a Palestinian village in the Nablus Governorate in the northern West Bank, located 28 kilometers (17 mi) southeast of Nablus. Qaryut is an ancient village. Its current inhabitants trace their origins to the Hejaz. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), Qaryut had a population of 2,560 inhabitants in 2017.

Eli (Hebrew: עֵלִי) is a large Israeli settlement in the West Bank organized as a community settlement, located on Highway 60, north of Ramallah, between the Palestinian villages of As-Sawiya and Qaryut, part of whose lands were expropriated for the establishment of Eli. It was named after the biblical high-priest who served in the Tabernacle in nearby biblical Shiloh (1 Samuel 1:9). In 2021 it had a population of 4,613. The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.

Jalud (Arabic: جاﻟﻭﺩ) is a Palestinian village in the Nablus Governorate in the northern West Bank. It is approximately 30 kilometers (19 mi) south of Nablus and is situated just east of Qaryut, south of Qusra and northeast of Shilo, an Israeli settlement. Its land area consists of 16,517 dunams (square kilometers), 98 of which constitutes its built-up area. Jalud is encircled by four illegal outposts: Esh Kodesh, Adi Ad, Ahiya and Shvut Rachel. Jalud residents were blocked by both IDF forces and settlers from tending most of their farms from 2001 to 2007. In 2007 permission was given to farm their groves, twice a year for a few days, on condition that prior coordinating arrangements are made with the IDF.

Ahiya (Hebrew: אחיה; also transliterated as Achiya or Achia) is an Israeli outpost in the West Bank, about 1.5 km southeast of the Palestinian village of Jalud. It falls under the purview of the Mateh Binyamin Regional Council. Israeli outposts are considered illegal both under international law as well as under Israeli law.It is named after the Biblical prophet Ahijah the Shilonite who lived in Shiloh, which is about 3 km to its west.

The Battle of the Ascent of Lebonah (Hebrew: קרב מעלה לבונה) or Battle with Apollonius (Hebrew: קרב אפולוניוס) was the first battle fought between the Maccabees and the Seleucid Empire in 167 or 166 BCE. The Jewish forces were led by Judas Maccabeus (Judah Maccabee) and the Seleucid army force was under the command of Apollonius, described by Josephus as "the strategos (general) of the Samaritan forces".In the earliest stages of the Maccabean Revolt, Judas had a small band of guerrilla combat units in the hills of northern Judea and southern Samaria. Apollonius was sent with the local Samaritan armies to link up with Seleucid forces from Jerusalem. The exact location of the battle is not known, but presumably it was along a road between Samaria and Jerusalem. The date of the battle is not precisely known either, but occurred early in the revolt. It is the first battle discussed in the book of 1 Maccabees, hence generally being dated to 167–166 BCE. The precise details of the battle are not known either, but 2 Maccabees writes that the rebels fought using guerrilla warfare in the early stage of the revolt, by "coming unexpectedly" on their foes and at night. It is reasonably possible that this battle was similar, with a surprise attack while the enemy was unaware. The larger Syrian Greek army was defeated, and Judas defeated Apollonius in personal combat. Another force was soon sent against Maccabees, which led to the Battle of Beth Horon.