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Biq'at Bet She'an (Israel)

Mo'atza Ezorit Biq'at Bet She'an, Regional Council of Bet Shean Valley

[Regional Council of Biqat Bet She'an (Israel)]

image by Dov Gutterman | 2:3

Emblem adopted 30th October 1958

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Regional Council Biq'at Bet She'an (meaning Bet She'an Valley) is situated in the surroundings of the Municipality of Bet She'an, on eastern Israel, along the Jordan River, south of Regional Council of Emeq HaYarden and north of Regional Council of Aravot HaYarden. It was established 1949 and has 11'500 inhabitants in 22 settlements. (...) The municipal emblem was published in the official gazette (Rashumot, Yalkut ha-Pirsumim), YP 631, 30 October 1958.
Sources: www.cityindex.co.il [retrieved]
Dov Gutterman, 25 September 2001

Is that a pomegranate in the middle of the emblem? And what is the watch tower on the left?
Santiago Dotor, 26 September 2001

It is a pomegranate. The Bible mentions seven species which Israel was blessed with – wheat, barley, vine, fig, grenade, olive and palm – some of which appear in this emblem. As for the tower, I guess it is a remembrance to the Wall and Tower settlements of the British Mandate era.
Dov Gutterman, 26 September 2001

The unofficial flag is light blue with blue emblem.
Source: author's own observation, 2 October 2001
Dov Gutterman, 7 October 2001

Regional Council Biq'at Bet She'an includes 23 settlements (with one more in process of establishment). The current are: Bet Yosef, Gesher, Hanadiya, Tirat Tzvi, Yardena, Kfar Rupin, Meirav, Malkishua, Mesilot, Ma'oz Haim, Ma'ale Gilboa, Neve Or, Neve Eytan, Nir David, Ein HaNatziv, Revaya, Re'hov, Reshafim, Sde Elyahu, Sde Nahum, Sdey Trumut, Shlu'hot and Tel Teomim. New settlement (Michal) will probably be the 24th.
According to the official site [retrieved], the Regional Council was established in 1948 and 10 of its settlements were established as "Wall and Tower " settlements during the Mandate era.
Homa U'Migdal (Wall and Tower) is the nickname for an operation of founding 52 new settlements between 1936–1939. The first was Tel-Amal (later named Nir-David, today one of the settlements in the Regional Council of Biq'at Bet She'an). To prevent any British intervention, those settlements were built in top secrecy with all materials ready elsewhere. The establishment was done at one night and in the morning there was a wall and watchtower built on the site, hence this nickname.
Source: www.nirtours.co.il [partially retrieved]
Dov Gutterman, 9 April 2005