Palmachim

Palmachim , פַּלְמַחִים‎‎, is a kibbutz in central Israel. Located about ten kilometers south of the Tel Aviv area among the sand dunes of the Mediterranean Sea coast, it falls under the jurisdiction of Gan Raveh Regional Council. In 2004 it had a population of 500.

Palmachim was established on 11 April 1949 by former members of the Palmach underground organization's Yiftah brigade, on land near the depopulated Palestinian Arab village of Nabi Rubin.

In 2006 former residents of Elei Sinai, an Israeli settlement in the Gaza Strip evicted during the disengagement plan protested to the government until they were allowed to move to the kibbutz.

The kibbutz produces agricultural goods and high tensile strength concrete products using the Spancrete process, and is home to high tech companies. The ruins of ancient Yavne's seaport, Yavneh-Yam, are located nearby, and its archaeological findings are on display in the kibbutz's small museum.

Nearby Palmachim Air Force Base houses rocket testing grounds and space launching facilities for the Israel Defense Forces and the Israeli Space Agency, and the Soreq Nuclear Research Center, which houses a small (5 MW) nuclear research reactor, take advantage of the area's relative isolation. There is also a desalinization plant nearby.

There are also plans to build a 350-apartment holiday resort on the Palmachim beach, though this has led to several protests.