Ma'ale Mikhmas (Hebrew: מַעֲלֵה מִכְמָשׂ) is an Israeli settlement in the Binyamin region of the northern West Bank. Located a few miles northeast of Jerusalem, it falls under the municipal jurisdiction of Mateh Binyamin Regional Council and according to Palestinians the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate. In 2022 it had a population of 1,744.
Ma'ale Mikhmas מַעֲלֵה מִכְמָשׂ | |
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Coordinates: 31°52′44″N 35°18′23″E / 31.87889°N 35.30639°E | |
District | Judea and Samaria Area |
Council | Mateh Binyamin |
Region | West Bank |
Affiliation | Amana |
Founded | 1981 |
Population (2022)[1] | 1,744 |
The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.[2]
History
Israel confiscated 1287 dunums of land from the Palestinian town of Deir Dibwan in order to construct Ma'ale Mikhmas.[3]
Ma'ale Mikhmas was founded in 1981 along the Allon Road by a group of families from Ma'ale Adumim. It is named after the biblical Michmas (Isaiah 10:28; Esra 2:27).[4]
The population of Ma'ale Mikhmas is evenly divided between native-born Israelis and immigrants from English-speaking countries, South America, France and Ethiopia. It defines itself as religious.[5]
Notable residents
- Otniel Schneller (born 1952), politician[6]