Ma'ale Shomron

Ma'ale Shomron
  • מַעֲלֵה שׁוֹמְרוֹן (Hebrew)
Ma'ale Shomron is located in the Northern West Bank
Ma'ale Shomron
Ma'ale Shomron
Location within the Northern West Bank
Coordinates: 32°9′53″N 35°4′16″E / 32.16472°N 35.07111°E / 32.16472; 35.07111
CountryPalestine
DistrictJudea and Samaria Area
CouncilShomron
RegionWest Bank
AffiliationMishkei Herut Beitar
Founded1980
Population
 (2019)[1]
996

Ma'ale Shomron (Hebrew: מַעֲלֵה שׁוֹמְרוֹן) is an Israeli settlement in the northern West Bank. Located about 300 metres above sea level, it is organised as a community settlement and falls under the jurisdiction of Shomron Regional Council. In 2019 it had a population of 996.[1]

The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.[2]

History

The settlement was established in February 1980 by a mixed group of Orthodox and non-religious Israelis from the Beitar and Herut movements.[3] It is closely bordered by Karnei Shomron.

According to ARIJ, Israel confiscated land from several Palestinian villages in order to construct Ma'ale Shomron, including 268 dunums of land from Azzun,[4] 69 dunams from Deir Istiya,[5] and 367 dunums of land from Kafr Thulth / Arab Al Khouleh (including land for Karnei Shomron and Emmanuel).[6]

Archaeology

Located within the settlement is the archaeological site of Khirbet Jamma'in, where an ancient Israelite village from the First Temple period (Iron Age II) was discovered in 1976. A salvage excavation carried out in 1979, just before the establishment of the settlement, revealed a range of structures including four-room houses, an olive oil press, a winepress, a watering hole, a quarry, and terraces. The archaeological evidence suggests that the village likely housed a population of around 600 to 800 individuals. However, by the 7th century BCE, the site had been abandoned.[7]

Settlement Expansion at the Expense of Expelled Palestinian communities

The expansion of Ma'ale Shomron and its outpost El Matan directly drove the erasure of traditional Palestinian pastoral life in the valley below. The progressive cleansing of the herding community of Uyun Kafr Qari' (also known as 'Arab al-Khuli), situated immediately beneath the cliffs of Ma'ale Shomron within the Wadi Qana basin, was the culmination of a years-long campaign of physical assaults, blocked access to grazing lands and water sources, plundered livestock, and destroyed agricultural property.[8][9] The final blow fell on 27 February 2026, after settlers from the nearby Dorot outpost threatened the remaining residents and their livestock with violence; fearing for their lives, all remaining families left, completely depopulating the community.[9] On 9 May 2026, settlers returned with heavy machinery and demolished approximately fifty remaining residential and agricultural structures.[10] Later that month, the Dorot area was formally incorporated into the jurisdiction of Karnei Shomron.[11] B'Tselem included the depopulation of Uyun Kafr Qari' in what it described as the "ethnic cleansing of Palestinian communities and lone families in the West Bank",[12] while Amnesty International has characterized the wider forcible displacement of Palestinian Bedouin and herding communities in the occupied West Bank as an Israeli "ethnic cleansing campaign" linked to settlement expansion and annexation.[13]

Notable residents

References

  1. 1 2 "Population in the Localities 2019" (XLS). Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  2. ↑ "The Geneva Convention". BBC News. 10 December 2009. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
  3. ↑ "Ma'ale Shomron". Shomron Regional Council (in Hebrew). Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  4. ↑ ‘Azzun Town Profile (including ‘Isla & ‘Izbat at Tabib Localities), ARIJ, 2013, p. 19
  5. ↑ Deir Istiya Town Profile, ARIJ, p. 18
  6. ↑ Kafr Thulth Town Profile (including ‘Arab al Khawla Locality), ARIJ, p. 17
  7. ↑ Dar, Shimon (1986). "Hirbet Jemein - A First Temple Village in Western Samaria". מחקרי שומרון: קובץ מחקרים [Shomron Studies] (in Hebrew). Ra'anana: הקיבוץ המאוחד [Hakkibutz Hameuchad]. pp. 14, 39–40.
  8. ↑ Cite error: The named reference OCHA2014 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. 1 2 "Arab al-Khuli / 'Uyun Kafur Qara (Wadi Qana), Qalqiliya District: Israel expelled a decades-old community from its home". B'Tselem. 28 March 2026. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  10. ↑ "Losses estimated at millions of shekels: settlers demolish 50 agricultural rooms south of Qalqilya". Wafa. 10 May 2026. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  11. ↑ "שיא ביו"ש: אלוף פיקוד המרכז חתם על 30 תחומי שיפוט חדשים" [Record in Judea and Samaria: Central Command chief signs 30 new jurisdictional areas]. Arutz Sheva (in Hebrew). 31 May 2026. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  12. ↑ "Settler Violence = State Violence". B'Tselem. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  13. ↑ Amnesty International (10 June 2026). Erasing Anything Palestinian: Israel's Ethnic Cleansing of West Bank Bedouin and Herding Communities (Report). MDE 15/1103/2026. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
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