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BEIT ROMANOSettlement مدرسة أسامة MADRESET OSAMA The settlement mainly com-posed of the Yeshivat Shavei Hevron for studying Judaism and an Israeli Occupation Forces military camp. The main building of the area was created in 1879 on property owned by a Palestinian family. According to the settlers, the building was constructed by Avraham Romano, a Jew from Turkey, as a home for the elderly of the Turkish community. It used to serve as the headquarters and a police station until 1917, when it was confiscated by the British Mandate Authorities and used as a military station. In 1948, the building was turned into the boy’s school Osama ibn Mun-qidh (Madreset Osama). The IOF closed it down together with the central bus station in the early 1980’s for security reasons. The school was turned into Beit Yeshiva - a school for religious studies for settlers. The bus station was used as a military center to protect settlers living within the old city. Both of the areas were reopened with a new purpose in 1983, a couple of years after the Israeli govern-ment allowed for the Beit Romano settlement to beexpanded and rehabilitated. Currently there are more than 200 students attending the school. The settlement is surrounded by watch towers, some of them located directly on the roof of the school, and some of them situated on nearby Palestinian buildings. In 2002, the Israeli High Court of Justice decided to stop the construction of additional student dormitories to the Yeshiva, which had begun a year earlier. Then in 2008, the construction was allowed to continue after being approved by the Israeli High Court of Justice. Al-Shuhadastreet Military base Road closedto Palestinians Elements of the occupation Settlers’ buildings Yeshiva school Former Municipalitybuilding Casbah