Ofakim

Ofakim (Hebrew אופקים, Arabic أوفاكيم ) is a city in the south of Israel. It is located in Southern District, 24 kilometers west of Beersheba in the steppe north Negev region and is one of 24,700 almost exclusively Jewish inhabitants ( 2007). The land around the city is agriculturally used with irrigation. Ofakim in German means "Horizons ".

The city was founded in 1955, were settled as Jewish immigrants from North Africa in the region. Later, immigrants came mainly from Iran, Egypt, India, Romania, Ethiopia and the former Soviet Union.

The city is one of the so-called development towns of Israel, which is reflected inter alia in the relatively high number of welfare recipients. The city has suffered since its foundation, structural problems, mainly stemming from the removal from the country's center.

Officially Ofakim is part of the metropolitan area of ​​the central city of Beersheba, where many residents work. To improve the accessibility to the rest of Israel, a line of Israel Railways of Beersheba on Ofakim Netiwot, Sderot is built to Ashkelon.

Current mayor is (since 2008) Zvika Green Gold, an Israeli national hero of the Yom Kippur War.