According to
ARIJ, in order to construct Netiv HaGdud, Israel confiscated land from two nearby
Palestinian villages: 215
dunams (215000 m2) from
Fasayil, and 993 dunams (993,000 m2) from
Al-Auja. The settlement was established in April 1975 by members who had been preparing in
Ma'ale Efraim, and was named after the 38th Battalion of the
Jewish legion, which
fought in the Jordan Valley during
World War I. A
nearby archaeological site, which has been excavated by
Ofer Bar-Yosef amongst others, has produced remains from the
Neolithic era, including
Pre-Pottery Neolithic A. ==References==