Al-Masara

Al-Masara (Arabic: المعصرة, pronounced al-Ma'sara; translation: "the press") 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.^[2] The population was 1,085 in the 2017 census by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS).^[1]

Al-Masara
Local Development Committee
Arabic transcription(s)
• Arabic	المعصرة
• Latin	Al-Ma'sara (official)
Protest in al-Masara
Coordinates: 31°39′17″N 35°10′48″E
State	State of Palestine
Governorate	Bethlehem
Founded	1930
Government
• Type	Local Development Committee
• Head of Municipality	Mahmoud Alaeddin
Area
• Total	973 dunams (1.0 km2 or 0.4 sq mi)
Population  (2017)[1]
• Total	1,085
• Density	1,100/km2 (2,800/sq mi)
Name meaning	"the press"

History

Name. Archaeology

Its name, which translates as "the press", derives from the Byzantine Empire-era olive press still located in al-Ma'sara.^[2] In 1883 the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) noted "heaps of stones and cisterns" at Khurbet Marsia.^[3]

Establishment (1930)

The modern town was founded in 1930 by members of the Arab al-Zawahra and at-Ta'mirah tribes.^[2]

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 (PNA) to administer the village, most which is located in Area B giving the PNA jurisdiction over al-Ma'sara's civil affairs.^[2] The head of the committee is Mahmoud Alaeddin.^[4]

There is one mosque, al-Ma'sara Mosque, and a primary and secondary school in the village.^[2]

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.^[2]