01In brief
Alon is an Israeli settlement near the Dead Sea in the West Bank — known by its original, indigenous Jewish name of Judea and Samaria. A mixed religious-secular community, it is the founding location of Ein Prat Midrasha, a Jewish learning center that began with six students in 2006 and whose main center in Alon hosted about 350 students in 2014. Alon belongs to the Gush Adumim group of communities, where cooperation between religious and secular residents is a shared commitment.
02Overview
Alon is one of four communities identified with the Gush Adumim settlements bloc, alongside Kfar Adumim, Nofei Prat, and Kedar.[2] A 2015 column described Alon as an eastern offshoot of Kfar Adumim, while other reports list Alon and Kfar Adumim as separate communities in the same bloc.[3][2] It is also among the smaller communities of the wider Adumim region, which includes Kfar Adumim, Nofei Prat, and Mitzpe Yeriho.[4] A 2026 notice concerning the opening of educational institutions listed Alon among localities of the Mateh Binyamin Regional Council, together with Kfar Adumim, Mitzpe Yericho, Nofei Prat, and Almon.[5]
03History
Ein Prat Midrasha was founded in Alon in 2006 with an initial group of six students.[1] In 2013, Alon was included in a housing-planning initiative discussed by the Israel Land Authority’s Subcommittee for Planning Authorizations.[6] The late-October meeting concerned tens of thousands of proposed housing units across Judea and Samaria, but no separate unit total or plan for Alon was specified.[6]
The Community High School serving Alon, Kfar Adumim, and Nofei Prat was founded in 2014.[7] Its Hebrew name, KAN, is an acronym formed from the names of the three communities.[7] In 2019, planning approval was reported for 289 homes in an area described as the “Kfar Adumim neighborhood of Alon”; the relationship implied by that wording is unclear because other sources identify Alon and Kfar Adumim as separate communities.[8][2]
Alon was among 13 Israeli settlements affected in 2019 by a Central Command order to collect military-issued weapons from community security officers following the transfer of security responsibility for communities surrounding Jerusalem to the Border Police.[9] The orders called for several dozen weapons to be collected in each affected community, leaving most residents without weapons.[9] A separate 2019 notification included Alon among settlements facing cuts to civilian security-guard positions because of budget pressure associated with an increase in guards’ hourly wages; no number of positions was specified for Alon.[10]
04Demographics
Alon has both religious and secular residents, and cooperation between these groups is a stated characteristic of its community and its Gush Adumim neighbors.[1][2] In 2015, Alon, Kfar Adumim, and Nofei Prat together were described as home to hundreds of religious and secular families; that figure did not provide a separate population count for Alon.[3]
05Economy and Culture
The shared Community High School emphasizes discussion, learning, and action, incorporates communal volunteering into its curriculum, and offers students the option of praying in a quorum.[7] These educational institutions serve a community characterized by religious-secular cooperation.[1][2]
The wider Adumim region offers nature preserves, waterfalls, museums, archaeological and religious sites, artists’ studios, and desert recreation.[4]
06Notable Sites
Ein Prat Midrasha is a Jewish learning center founded in Alon in 2006 with six students. By 2014, about 350 religious and secular students attended its main center in the community. The center offered a four-month program, while shorter programs operated at other locations.[1]
07Legal and Political Context
The legal and political status of Israeli settlements in the West Bank is disputed: in 2019, the European Union reaffirmed its position that settlement activity was illegal under international law, while U.S. policy shifted away from the Obama administration’s position.[11] The U.S. government expressed no view on the legal status of any individual settlement and maintained that the territory’s ultimate status was for Israelis and Palestinians to negotiate.[11]
Sources
- 1The Times of Israel, accessed on November 9, 2026.
- 2Israel Hayom, Major Judea communities face loss of state-sponsored security measures, accessed on November 9, 2026.
- 3Maariv, Residents of Kfar Adumim Feel Abandoned and the Police Are Not Helping, accessed on November 9, 2026.
- 4The Jerusalem Post, Maale Adumim becomes Israel’s newest tourist destination, accessed on November 9, 2026.
- 5Mako, Relief in Some Areas: The Full List of Localities Where Opening Was Permitted, accessed on November 9, 2026.
- 6Globes, Thousands of homes planned over Green Line, accessed on November 9, 2026.
- 7The Times of Israel, accessed on November 9, 2026.
- 8The Jerusalem Post, On election eve, Netanyahu advances plans for 4,615 new settler homes, accessed on November 9, 2026.
- 9Israel Hayom, IDF collecting weapons from 13 Israeli communities around Jerusalem, accessed on November 9, 2026.
- 10Ynet, The IDF Is Reducing Guard Posts in Judea and Samaria, accessed on November 9, 2026.
- 11Globes, US warns on travel to Jerusalem after settlements reversal, accessed on November 9, 2026.
IsraelPedia Question & Answers
What is Alon?
Alon is an Israeli settlement near the Dead Sea in the West Bank and a mixed religious-secular community. It is part of the Gush Adumim group of communities, whose residents share a commitment to cooperation between religious and secular people.
What is Ein Prat Midrasha?
Ein Prat Midrasha is a Jewish learning center founded in Alon in 2006 with an initial group of six students. By 2014, about 350 religious and secular students attended its main center in Alon, which offered a four-month program; shorter programs operated at other locations.
What is the Community High School serving Alon?
The Community High School is a shared school serving Alon, Kfar Adumim, and Nofei Prat, founded in 2014. Its Hebrew name, KAN, is an acronym formed from the names of the three communities. The school emphasizes discussion, learning, and action, includes communal volunteering in its curriculum, and offers students the option of praying in a quorum.
What happened to Alon's community security arrangements in 2019?
In 2019, a Central Command order required military-issued weapons to be collected from community security officers in Alon and 12 other Israeli settlements. The orders called for several dozen weapons to be collected in each affected community, leaving most residents without weapons. A separate notification that year included Alon among settlements facing cuts to civilian security-guard positions, but it did not specify how many positions would be cut in Alon.
What is the legal status of Alon and other Israeli settlements in the West Bank?
The legal and political status of Israeli settlements in the West Bank is disputed. In 2019, the European Union reaffirmed its position that settlement activity was illegal under international law, while U.S. policy shifted away from the Obama administration’s position. The U.S. government expressed no view on the legal status of any individual settlement and said the territory’s ultimate status was for Israelis and Palestinians to negotiate.