Magal ( he, מַגָּל, ''lit.'' Sickle) is a
kibbutz
A kibbutz ( he, קִבּוּץ / , lit. "gathering, clustering"; plural: kibbutzim / ) is an intentional community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. The first kibbutz, established in 1909, was Degania. Today, farming h ...
in
Israel. Located in the
Wadi Ara region of the northern
Sharon plain
The Sharon plain ( ''HaSharon Arabic: سهل شارون Sahel Sharon'') is the central section of the Israeli coastal plain. The plain lies between the Mediterranean Sea to the west and the Samarian Hills, to the east. It stretches from Nahal ...
near the
Green Line
Green Line may refer to:
Places Military and political
* Green Line (France), the German occupation line in France during World War II
* Green Line (Israel), the 1949 armistice line established between Israel and its neighbours
** City Line ( ...
, it falls under the jurisdiction of
Menashe Regional Council
The Menashe Regional Council ( he, מועצה אזורית מנשה, ''Mo'atza Azorit Menasheh'') is a regional council near the city of Hadera, on Israel's north-central coastal plain in the southern Haifa District. It is named after the tribe of ...
. In it had a population of . The kibbutz was named after the sickle on the Nahal's badge.
History
Kibbutz Magal was founded in 1953 as a
Nahal settlement
Nahal settlements ( he, היאחזות נח"ל, ''Heahzut Nahal'') were settlements established by Nahal soldiers in Israel and Israeli-occupied territories
Israeli-occupied territories are the lands that were captured and occupied by Isra ...
on a hill overlooking the Samaria hills and what was then the border with
Jordan. The kibbutz sits on a hill known from the War of Independence as the "86th Regiment"—on any elevation of the hill above the sea level (86 meters). The kibbutz was founded by the Tzofim battalion, but when they left, Nahal members began to settle there, which continued to reach it until the 1980s.
In 2005, construction began on a new residential neighborhood on the outskirts of the kibbutz. The first stage of the project was completed in April 2009.
Economy
In the past, the economy was based on citrus orchards, avocado plantations and cotton and other field crops. Today the kibbutz grows olives, almonds and pomegranates. It also manufactures and markets olive oil and provides catering services. Since the 1970s, the kibbutz has been the co-owner of
Netafim, now an international corporation for irrigation and dripping products. Since the late 1990s the kibbutz has been undergoing privatization. Today it is almost completely privatized and considered economically viable.
Magal, A modern Israeli Kibbutz
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References
{{Authority control
Kibbutzim
Kibbutz Movement
Nahal settlements
Populated places established in 1953
Populated places in Haifa District
1953 establishments in Israel