Zeitan זיתן
Zeitan Show map of Central Israel Zeitan Show map of Israel
Coordinates: 31°58′30″N 34°53′16″E / 31.97500°N 34.88778°E / 31.97500; 34.88778
Country	Israel
District	Central
Council	Sdot Dan
Affiliation	Moshavim Movement
Founded	5 June 1950
Founded by	Libyan immigrants
Population  (2021)[1]	1,031

Zeitan (Hebrew: זֵיתָן) is a moshav in central Israel. Located near Lod and the road to Ben Gurion International Airport, it falls under the jurisdiction of Sdot Dan Regional Council. In 2021 it had a population of 1,031.^[1]

History

During the 18th and 19th centuries the area around Zeitan belonged to the Nahiyeh (sub-district) of Lod that encompassed the area of the present-day city of Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut in the south to the present-day city of El'ad in the north, and from the foothills in the east, through the Lod Valley to the outskirts of Jaffa in the west. This area was home to thousands of inhabitants in about 20 villages, who had at their disposal tens of thousands of hectares of prime agricultural land.^[2]

The village was founded on 5 June 1950 by immigrants from Tripoli in Libya who were originally from a small town named Zliten. There are several theories as to the source of its name; one is that it is an adaption of Zliten; another that it is derived from the Hebrew word for Olive (Zeit), which are grown in the area; whilst a third^[3] is that it is taken from the name of one of the Tribe of Benjamin, which lived in the area and is named in 1 Chronicles 7:10;

And the sons of Jediael: Bilhan; and the sons of Bilhan: Jeush, and Benjamin, and Ehud, and Chenaanah, and Zeitan, and Tarshish, and Ahishahar.

References