Al-Masara

Al-Masara is a Palestinian village in the central West Bank, 6.2 km southwest of Bethlehem, part of the Bethlehem Governorate. It is surrounded by a number of smaller Palestinian villages, including Khallet al-Haddad to the east. The population was 1,085 in the 2017 census by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.

History

Name. Archaeology

Its name, which translates as "the press", derives from the Byzantine Empire-era olive press still located in al-Ma'sara. In 1883 the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) noted "heaps of stones and cisterns" at Khurbet Marsia.

Establishment (1930)

The modern town was founded in 1930 by members of the Arab al-Zawahra and at-Ta'mirah tribes.

Post-1967

After the Six-Day War in 1967, Al-Masara has been under Israeli occupation.

Institutions

A seven-member local development committee was established by the Palestinian National Authority to administer the village, most which is located in Area B giving the PNA jurisdiction over al-Ma'sara's civil affairs. The head of the committee is Mahmoud Alaeddin.
There is one mosque, al-Ma'sara Mosque, and a primary and secondary school in the village.

Economy

Agriculture accounts for 70% of al-Ma'sara's economic activity, while the civil sector makes up 16%. The total land area is 973 dunams, of which 42 dunams are designated built-up. Most of the remainder is arable land, 505 dunams of which are cultivated.