The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.[2]
The settlement was first established in 1982 as a pioneer Nahal military outpost, and demilitarized when turned over to residential purposes in 1988. As of 2015, Shim'a had approximately 600 residents.[citation needed]
^Bitan, Hanna: 1948-1998: Fifty Years of 'Hityashvut': Atlas of Names of Settlements in Israel, Jerusalem 1999, Carta, p. 68, ISBN965-220-423-4(in Hebrew)