Ma'ale Shomron () 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.
The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.
History The settlement was established in February 1980 by a mixed group of Orthodox and non-religious Israelis from the Beitar and Herut movements. 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, ‘Azzun Town Profile (including ‘Isla & ‘Izbat at Tabib Localities), ARIJ, 2013, p. 19 69 dunams from Deir Istiya,Deir Istiya Town Profile, ARIJ, p. 18 and 367 dunums of land from Kafr Thulth / Arab Al Khouleh (including land for Karnei Shomron and Emmanuel).Kafr Thulth Town Profile (including ‘Arab al Khawla Locality), ARIJ, p. 17
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.
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. 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. On 9 May 2026, settlers returned with heavy machinery and demolished approximately fifty remaining residential and agricultural structures. Later that month, the Dorot area was formally incorporated into the jurisdiction of Karnei Shomron. 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", 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.
Notable residents Dani Dayan, chairman of Yad Vashem, former Consul General of Israel in New York City and former head of Yesha Council
References
External links Official website