Ma'ale Iron (, ''lit.'' Iron Heights; ) is an
Arab
Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world.
Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...
local council in
Israel
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
's
Haifa District
Haifa District () is an administrative district surrounding the city of Haifa in Israel. The district is one of the seven administrative districts of Israel, and its capital is Haifa. The district land area is 864 km2 (299.3 mi2).
D ...
and is a part of the
Wadi Ara
Wadi Ara (, ) or Nahal 'Iron (), is a valley and its surrounding area in Israel populated mainly by Arab citizens of Israel, Arab Israelis. The area is also known as the "Triangle (Israel), Northern Triangle".
Wadi Ara is located northwest of t ...
region in the
Triangle
A triangle is a polygon with three corners and three sides, one of the basic shapes in geometry. The corners, also called ''vertices'', are zero-dimensional points while the sides connecting them, also called ''edges'', are one-dimension ...
. The town consists of the five villages of
Bayada,
Musheirifa
Al-Musheirifa (, or ) is an Arab village in Israel's Haifa District. The village is located in the Wadi Ara area of the northern Triangle, northeast of Umm al-Fahm. Since 1996, it has been under the jurisdiction of the Ma'ale Iron local counci ...
,
Musmus,
Salem and
Zalafa. The villages were joined together in 1996 by the
Interior Ministry of Israel
The Ministry of Interior (, ''Misrad HaPnim''; ) in the State of Israel is one of the Cabinet of Israel, government offices that is responsible for Local government#Israel, local government, Israeli nationality law, citizenship and Permanent res ...
to form the local council.
In its population was , predominantly
Muslim
Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
s.
It has an area of 6.3
km2. Ma'ale Iron has four elected members
and since 2013 the head of the council has been Mustafa Ighbarieh.
History
The five villages of Ma'ale Iron did not have municipal status and instead were under the administration of ''
mukhtar
A mukhtar (; ) is a village chief in the Levant: "an old institution that goes back to the time of the Ottoman rule". According to Amir S. Cheshin, Bill Hutman and Avi Melamed, the mukhtar "for centuries were the central figures". They "were ...
s'' (village headmen) appointed by the
Interior Ministry
An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement.
In some states, the ...
until 1992 when the Interior Ministry established the
Nahal Iron
Wadi Ara (, ) or Nahal 'Iron (), is a valley and its surrounding area in Israel populated mainly by Arab Israelis. The area is also known as the "Northern Triangle".
Wadi Ara is located northwest of the Green Line, in the Haifa District. High ...
regional council. The council also included
Barta'a
Barta'a (Hebrew: בַּרְטַּעָה) is an Arab village located in the northern triangle area and Nahal Iron, which is split by the Green Line separating Israel from the West Bank. This division resulted in the separation of the village int ...
,
Ein as-Sahala
Ein as-Sahla (, ) is an Arab village in Haifa District, Israel. The village is located in the Wadi Ara area of the northern Triangle. The village has about 2,000 residents. Since 1996, it has been under the jurisdiction of the Basma local coun ...
and
Mu'awiya
Mu'awiya I (–April 680) was the founder and first caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate, ruling from 661 until his death. He became caliph less than thirty years after the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and immediately after the four Rashid ...
in addition to the five current villages of Ma'ale Iron. Initially the council operated mainly in Bayada and Salem but in the rest of the villages the locals objected to the administrative arrangement and sought independent municipal status. To allay local concerns, the Interior Ministry established an investigative committee to examine other options, and in 1996, decided to split the regional council into two local councils: Ma'ale Iron and
Basma.
Between 1996 and 2003, council meetings were held in
Afula
Afula () is a city in the Northern District of Israel, often known as the "Capital of the Valley" due to its strategic location in the Jezreel Valley. As of , the city had a population of .
Afula's ancient tell (settlement mound) suggests habit ...
, but in 2004 the council's headquarters moved to Zalafa. Until 2003 the council was appointed by the interior minister until elections were held in 2001 and Muhammad Fauzi Jabbarin was elected as the council head.
In 2006 the Interior Ministry suspended Ma'ale Iron's budget for not reporting the wages of council workers. Because of the dispute, the Interior Ministry dissolved the council and appointed a new one, headed by Michael Iluz from the
Shas
Shas () is a Haredi Judaism, Haredi religious List of political parties in Israel, political party in Israel. Founded in 1984 by Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, a former Israeli Sephardic Jews, Sephardi chief rabbi, who remained its spiritual leader until ...
party. In 2009 a plea was sent to the
High Court of Justice
The High Court of Justice in London, known properly as His Majesty's High Court of Justice in England, together with the Court of Appeal (England and Wales), Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, are the Courts of England and Wales, Senior Cour ...
against the current council and to hold local elections. The court instructed the interior minister to arrange elections but he decided to extend the council's term for another year. In 2010 the council's members asked to move Ma'ale Iron's headquarters back to Afula due to alleged threats made against them, but the Interior Ministry refused. In 2013 local elections were held in Ma'ale Iron and Mustafa Ighbarieh was elected as the council head.
In 2006 there were floods in the Wadi Ara region. The estimated damage in Ma'ale Iron,
Umm al-Fahm
Umm al-Fahm ( , ''Umm al-Faḥm''; ''Um el-Faḥem'') is a city located northwest of Jenin in the Haifa District of Israel. In its population was , nearly all of whom are Palestinian citizens of Israel. The city is situated on the Umm al-Fahm ...
and Basma was 44 million
NIS. The floods damaged the sewage system of Bayada, Musmus and Musheirifa and caused the pollution of the Ba'ana River that passes through Musheirifa. The budget given by the government was insufficient and bureaucratic problems delayed the restoration. Eventually the river was cleaned in 2013.
In November 2014, Ma'ale Iron and
Megiddo Regional Council
The Megiddo Regional Council (, ''Mo'atza Azorit Megido'') is a regional council in northern Israel encompassing land on the Menashe Plateau, and partly in the Jezreel Valley. The council is bounded by the city of Yokneam Illit to the north, and ...
started a project for cooperation between the five villages of Ma'ale Iron and the thirteen communities of Megiddo. Two teams from each council participate in sports, community and environmental work. Art galleries displaying the works of locals were opened in localities in both councils and annual activities such as planting trees in
Tu BiShvat
Tu BiShvat () is a Jewish holiday occurring on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shevat. It is also called ''Rosh HaShanah La'Ilanot'' (), literally " New Year to the Trees". In contemporary Israel, the day is celebrated as an ecological awa ...
have been conducted.
Villages
Bayada
Bayada lies on top of
Musheirifa
Al-Musheirifa (, or ) is an Arab village in Israel's Haifa District. The village is located in the Wadi Ara area of the northern Triangle, northeast of Umm al-Fahm. Since 1996, it has been under the jurisdiction of the Ma'ale Iron local counci ...
. It was a neighborhood of Musheirifa until it broke away. The vast majority of the residents are members of the Jabarin clan. In the 2008 census Bayada's population was counted with Musheirifa and together their population was 3,100.
Musmus
Musmus lies below Musheirifa. Most of the residents belong to the Ighbarieh and Mahagna clans. The village is the birthplace of the Palestinian poet
Rashid Hussein.
Highway 65 passes through the village and splits it into two parts. In the 2008 census, Musmus's population was 3,900.
Musheirifa

Musheirifa lies between Musmus and Bayada. The inhabitants are largely members of the Ighbarieh clan, which inhabits the upper parts of the village, and the Jabbarin clan, which inhabit the lower parts. In the 2008 census Musheirifa's population was counted with Bayada and together their population was 3,100.
Salem
Salem lies near the
Green Line and the
separation barrier
A separation barrier or separation wall is a Barricade, barrier, wall or fence, constructed to limit the movement of people across a certain line or border, or to ethnic segregation, separate peoples or cultures. A separation barrier that runs a ...
.
Salem is divided into two parts. The western part is inhabited by members of the Abu Bakr clan and the Eastern part is inhabited by members of the Araf'aiya and Subaihat clans as well as some other clans.
According to the 2008 census there were 1,600 residents in the village.
Zalafa
Zalafa lies between
Musmus and Salem. In the 2008 census,
Zalafa's population was 4,000.
Demographics
In 2014 Ma'ale Iron had residents, all of whom are Arabs and 99.9% are
Muslim
Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
s. In 2013, 41.9% of the residents were 17 or under, 54.2% were 18–64 and 3.9% were aged 65+. There were 2,126 families living in 2,629 households. There were 3,491 students in 7 schools: 4 elementary schools and 3 high schools. 50.8% were entitled to a
Bagrut
Te'udat Bagrut (, ''lit.'' "graduation certificate", Arabic: شهادة بجروت) is a certificate that attests that a student has successfully passed Israel's high school matriculation examination. Bagrut is a prerequisite for higher education ...
.
Sports
There are three soccer groups in the villages:
*Hapoel Bnei Zalafa – plays in
Liga Bet
Liga Bet () is the fourth tier of the Israeli football league system. It is divided into four regional divisions.
History
League football started in Israel in 1949–50, a year after the Israeli Declaration of Independence. However, the financial ...
and hosts matches in a soccer field in Umm el-Fahm.
*Bnei Musheirifa Bayada – plays in
Liga Gimel
Liga Gimel (, lit. ''League C'') is, since 2009, the fifth and bottom division of Israeli football league system, Israeli Football League. From Liga Alef and downwards, including Liga Gimel, each league is separated by region.
History
Liga Gimel ...
and hosts matches in a soccer field in
Barkai.
*Hapoel Bnei Musmus – plays in
Liga Gimel
Liga Gimel (, lit. ''League C'') is, since 2009, the fifth and bottom division of Israeli football league system, Israeli Football League. From Liga Alef and downwards, including Liga Gimel, each league is separated by region.
History
Liga Gimel ...
and hosts matches in a soccer field in Umm el-Fahm.
See also
*
Arab localities in Israel
Arab localities in Israel include all population centers with a 50% or higher Arab population in Israel. East Jerusalem and Golan Heights are not internationally recognized parts of Israel proper but have been included in this list.
According to ...
References
External links
*Survey of Western Palestine, Map 8
IAAWikimedia commons
{{Haifa District
Arab localities in Israel
Wadi Ara
Local councils in Haifa District