Zalafa
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|---|---|
  Zalafa  Zalafa | |
| Coordinates:32°32′56″N35°11′17″E / 32.54889°N 35.18806°E /32.54889; 35.18806 | |
| Grid position | 167/217PAL |
| Country |  Israel |
| District |  Haifa |
| Council | Ma'ale Iron |
| Founded | 17th century |
| Population (mid-2016[1]) | |
• Total | 4,639 |
| Name meaning | "Thecisterns"[2] or "Hard Soil"[3] |
Zalafa (Arabic:زلفة,Hebrew:זלפה) is anArab village inIsrael'sHaifa District. The village is in theWadi Ara area of thenorthern Triangle, 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) northeast ofUmm al-Fahm. Since 1996, it has been under the jurisdiction of theMa'ale Ironlocal council whose headquarters is in the village.[4] The village is divided into three neighborhoods: East, West and al-Murtafi'a. In mid-2016, Zalafa's population was 4,639,[1] all of whom areMuslim.[5]
According to archeological evidence, Zalafa location has been settled continuously since theIron Age, but with a decline in the Ottoman era.[6] Building foundations, burial tombs, potsherds from the Byzantine era and an ancient well can be found under the village.[3]
In 1870, French explorerVictor Guérin found Zalafa "almost completely deserted",[7] and in the 1870s it was described as "a small ruined village with a well" by thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine (SWP).[8] In 1870/1871 (1288AH), an Ottoman census listed the village in thenahiya of Shafa al-Gharby.[9]
During the 19th and first half of the 20th century, Zalafa was one of the settlements of the so-called "Fahmawi Commonwealth" established byHebronite clans belonging toUmm al-Fahm. The Commonwealth consisted of a network of interspersedcommunities connected by ties ofkinship, and socially, economically and politically affiliated with Umm al Fahm. The Commonwealth dominated vast sections ofBilad al-Ruha/Ramot Menashe,Wadi 'Ara andMarj Ibn 'Amir/Jezreel Valley during that time.[10]
The village's clay and straw houses were built close to each other for security reasons. Clan divisions were reflected in the distribution of the houses. Zalafa's residents drew water from nearby springs and the village lacked basic services such as schools, clinics, local government, banks, etc.[11] Following theJewish migration toPalestine,[vague] many of Zalafa's residents worked in Jewish-owned fields and settlements. In addition to being a new source of income, this work experience instilled in the residents advanced skills that improved their way of life.[11]
In the1922 census the population of the village was 156, all of whom were Muslim.[12] In the1931 census there were 198 Muslim residents living in 43 houses,[13] increasing to 340 in the1945 statistics.[14][15] In 1944/45 a total of 2,677dunums of village land was allocated for grains, 65 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards,[16] and 8 dunams were classified as built-up areas.[17]
In addition to agriculture, residents practicedanimal husbandry which formed was an important source of income for the town. In 1943, they owned 161 heads ofcattle, 10sheep over a year old, 220goats over a year old, 23horses, 2mules, 51donkeys, 590fowls, and 132pigeons.[18]
During the1948 Arab-Israeli War, the village and the surrounding area came underIraqi control. In March 1949,Jordanian forces replaced the Iraqi forces in Wadi Ara.[19]
On 3 April 1949, Israel and Jordan signed an armistice agreement, in which Israel would receive theWadi Ara area, including Zalafa.[20] In 1949,Givat Oz was established near the village.[21]
Zalafa is one of the villages of Wadi Ara that lacked municipal status after the establishment of Israel.[22] On 16 January 1979,Interior MinisterYosef Burg offered to establish alocal council for Zalafa which would have included nearbyAqqada (800 metres (2,600 ft) from Zalafa),Swisa (1,400 metres (4,600 ft) from Zalafa) and al-Murtafi'a (connected to the village), which were in the municipal boundaries of Umm al-Fahm. The residents of Aqqada and Swisa refused the arrangement and considered their villages as part of Umm al-Fahm, though they already received civil services such as water and education from Zalafa. Burg doubted that Zalafa could bear the financial and administrative burden of having a local council, since the population of Zalafa at the time was 1,700 and with the three other villages, 2,100; thus it would have been a very small local council.[23]
Zalafa was under the administration ofmukhtars (village headmen), who were appointed by the Interior Ministry[24] until 1992, when the Interior Ministry established theNahal Ironregional council, including seven other villages. The locals objected to the administrative arrangement and sought independent municipal status for each village. 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, which includes Zalafa, andBasma.[4] Al-Murtafi'a is today part of Zalafa.[5] Between 2004 and 2010 the seat of Ma'ale Iron has been in a building in Zalafa leased by the local council.[4]
The village is situated on a high hill, which allowed the residents to better defend themselves. It borders theMegiddo Regional Council to the north, withGivat Oz to the northeast and the municipal boundaries of Umm al-Fahm on the south. It is situated 1,600 metres (5,200 ft) west of theWest Bank. Zalafa's soil is fertile with an abundance of underground water, which aided the development of agriculture, the village's primary source of income and sustenance in its early history. Wadi Zalafa, astream of theKishon River, flows through the center of the village,[11] dividing it into two parts: Zalafa al-Gharbiyya (=West) and Zalafa al-Sharkiyya (=East).[3] North of the village is another stream that flows into the Kishon River as well.[11]
According to the 2008 census of theCentral Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Zalafa had 4,000 residents, 99.8% of them Muslim.
45.0% were under age 17, 51.3% were aged 18–64 and 3.7% were over 65. The median age was 20.[25]
| Year | 1922 | 1931 | 1945 | 1961 | 1972 | 1983 | 1995 | 2008 | 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 156 | 198 | 340 | 721 | 1,190 | 1,796 | 2,592 | 4,000 | 4,639 |
According to the 2008 CBS census, 29% of residents were in the annualcivilian labour force; 49.3% of the men and 8.2% of the women. 53.2% of the male workforce worked in construction; 9% in manufacturing; 8.2% inwholesale,retail trade, andAuto Mechanism; 7.5% in transport, storage, and communications; and the rest in other sectors. 88.9% of the female workforce worked in education and 11.1% in transport, storage, and communications.[25]
Zalafa has a local football team called "Hapoel Bnei Zalafa", participating inLiga Bet. The team hosts matches in a soccer fields located inUmm el-Fahm.[27]
