Maghar, Israel

For other uses, see Maghar (disambiguation).

Maghar
Hebrew transcription(s)
- Hebrew	מַעָ'ר, מע'אר, מגאר
- ISO 259	(Mrar) (Israeli pronunciation)
Arabic transcription(s)
- Arabic	المغار
Maghar from the south
Logo
Maghar
Coordinates: 32°53′23.50″N 35°24′29.60″E / 32.889861°N 35.408222°E / 32.889861; 35.408222Coordinates: 32°53′23.50″N 35°24′29.60″E / 32.889861°N 35.408222°E / 32.889861; 35.408222
District	North
Government
- Type	Local council (from 1956)
Area
- Total	19,810 dunams (19.8 km2 / 7.6 sq mi)
Population (2009)[1]
- Total	19,900
Name meaning	Cave

Maghar (Arabic: المغار‎, Hebrew: מַעָ'ר‎‎, also al-Maghar or Mghar; lit. the cave) is an Arab town in Israel's North District with an area of 19,810 dunams. Maghar achieved local council status in 1956. There were 19,900 people living in Maghar at the end of 2009.^[1]

History

Maghar was known as "Zar" during the Roman period. Many olive groves and wine presses testify to a long history of agriculture in the area, and numerous hillside caves show signs of ancient habitation. In fact the village's name comes from the Arabic word for "cave".

Demographics

The town of Maghar is entirely Arab with a Druze majority (57%), Christians (23%), and Muslims (20%).^[2] Many of the Druze residents serve in the IDF and Israel Police. A new neighbourhood was recently built for demobilized soldiers.

In 2005, rumours that Christians had uploaded pornographic pictures of Druze girls led to thousands of Druze youth marching through Christian neighbourhoods, torching cars and shops. A police investigation proved the rumors false. They were attributed to a 16-year old Druze boy who initially confessed but later retracted his statement, claiming that the police were searching for a scapegoat.^[3]

Education and culture

In August 2003, the Israel Circus School established a joint Jewish-Arab "Children’s Circus" together with its partner, Circus Maghar. A group of 20 Jewish and Arab children trained for the circus. In addition to local performances, the circus school toured Cyprus, giving workshops and performances for Christian and Muslim schools and community centers.^[4]

Hezbollah rocket attacks

During the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict, two residents of Maghar were killed and several were wounded as a result of Hezbollah rocket and cluster bomb attacks.^[5][6] On July 25, Da'aa Abbas, 15, was killed by a rocket that hit his house. Da'aa was killed instantly. The rest of the family suffered minor injuries and were evacuated to Poriya Hospital in Tiberias. On August 4, Manal Azzam, 27, was killed by shrapnel from a Hezbollah cluster rocket.^[7] Azzam was in her apartment's corridor which was used as a fortified safe room.^[8]

Notable residents

• Azzam Azzam

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Table 3 - Population of Localities Numbering Above 2,000 Residents and Other Rural Population". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. 2010-06-30. http://www.cbs.gov.il/population/new_2010/table3.pdf. Retrieved 2010-10-30. 
2. ^ Gutterman, Dov. Mughar (Israel) CRW Flags.
3. ^ Khoury, Jack (2005-02-14). "Police: Maghar riots sparked by teen spreading false rumor". Haaretz. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=540104&contrassID=1&subContrassID=7&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y. 
4. ^ Israel Circus School and Circus Maghar
5. ^ Kalman, Matthew (2006-08-05). "In Israel: Arabs are among the dead and wounded in Hezbollah rocket attacks". Casualties of War: Families (San Francisco Chronicle). http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/08/05/MNG21KBVH41.DTL. Retrieved 2008-05-16. 
6. ^ "Lebanon/Israel: Hezbollah Hit Israel with Cluster Munitions During Conflict". Human Rights Watch. http://hrw.org/english/docs/2006/10/18/lebano14412_txt.htm. Retrieved 2008-05-16. 
7. ^ Hezbollah launches attack on Israel
8. ^ Einav, Hagai (2006-08-04). "3 killed in rocket attacks on north". Ynetnews. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3286247,00.html. Retrieved 2008-05-16.