 In September 2011, before the Palestinian Authority's statehood bid at the United Nations, "Arutz Sheva" published photographs of women from Pnei Kedem being trained with firearms and live ammunition.The population of Pnei Kedem receives its municipal services from the Gush Etzion Regional Council, which lists it on its official website as a separate community.But as Israeli authorities do not recognize the outpost as an independent settlement, the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics counts its residents as living in Metzad.