An Israeli coastal city and settlement overlooking The Mediterranean Sea North and follows the district AcreIt is located 10 kilometers to the north and northeast of it. Its name in Hebrew means “of the river.” It is distinguished by its geographical location due to its proximity to the Lebanese border and its location at a crossroads.
The village was named Nahariya after the Ja'aton River (the broken one) that runs through it and empties into the Mediterranean Sea. It is inhabited by about 60,000 people, most of whom are Jews. It was settled by German Jews who immigrated to it fleeing Germany. Nazism 1935.
the site
The city is located 10 kilometers northeast of Acre and Haifa 30 km north, and extends over an area of 10 thousand square kilometers, and is distinguished by its geographical location due to its proximity to the Lebanese-Palestinian border, as it is far from Ras al-Naqoura, which is located South Lebanon 8 km distance.
The city is also distinguished by its location at a crossroads leading to Acre and Haifa to the south and Ras al-Naqoura to the north.Safed East, in addition to the passage of the Haifa-Beirut Which ends there after the Jews destroyed it during The NakbaAnd also because there is an airport nearby.
Population
The population of Nahariya is estimated to be between 54,000 and 60,000 people in 2023, according to the website of the Israeli OR Association, a settlement association whose goal is to “encourage settlement in the Negev and Galilee regions.”
Its population grew from 1,400 in 1934 to 1,722 in 1948, and continued to grow until it embraced 5,000 in 1950, then tripled to 20,000 by 1966, and by the beginning of the millennium the number of its citizens reached more than 45,000.
the date
Archaeological discoveries indicate that the first appearance of human life in the region dates back to several centuries BC, as the remains of a Canaanite temple were found near the city site, in addition to tools dating back to the Bronze Age and other artifacts dating back to the Phoenician era.
Other remains still on display in the city indicate that its land hosted Christians before the Crusader period, based on the history of a church built in the sixth century AD and dating back to the Byzantine era.
Later, a village was established on the mouth of an open river called “Ja’tun” (and among the Arabs, “Al-Mafshoukh”) on a flat area of the Acre plain. It was settled by German Jews who immigrated to it in 1934, fleeing Nazi Germany, to be the first village with private farms in Galilee.
Its coastal location made it a port for receiving European Jews brought by the gang. Palmach Zionism after World War IIThe most prominent of these was the Hannah Senesh ship, which transported more than 200 Jews from Germany.
Palmach work with the population The Kibbutz The area was constantly receiving large numbers of hundreds of Jewish immigrants from around the world, and they began to spread them in the village and in the surrounding areas.
According to Israeli newspapers, the founders of the village (engineer Yosef Levy, architect Zelig Soskin, and engineer Shimon Reich) bought 2,400 dunams of its land from the Lebanese Tueni family for 34,000 Palestinian pounds, with the aim of turning it into an agricultural area.
The plan to turn Nahariya into an agricultural area failed, so its owners decided to turn it into a tourist area. They built hotels and cafes there, and its first visitors were the families of British soldiers.
Later, two factories were established that became the largest food factories in Israel, at a time when the number of its Jewish immigrant population increased, which enabled it to obtain the status of a “local council” from the authorities in 1941. British Mandate.
And after Palestine partition resolution Nahariya was placed within the “Arab area” of the Palestinians, as it was surrounded by Arab Palestinian cities and villages, and with the announcement of the plan in a session United Nations General Assembly Residents began to flock to it in preparation for the announcement of the establishment of a self-governing body.
And with Nakba War In 1948, the Arab forces tried to take control of Nahariya, but the Jewish forces continued to send supplies from Haifa by sea until it was completely under Israeli control in May 1948. From that day, Jews began to flock to it from all over the world.
At the beginning of 1951, the “Itanite” factory for asbestos building materials was established on its shore. It became one of the most important sources of income for its residents until it was discovered that this material was toxic, so the factory was closed in 1997. The town continued to try to eliminate the remains of this material, which caused diseases for its residents and residents of neighboring cities.
In 1961 it gave Israel The village had the status of a “city”, and during that period many Jews flocked to it. soviet unionAnd with the beginning of the seventies of the twentieth century and the escalation of tensions in the region, it became a hot conflict zone and threatened with bombing, and with the beginning of the millennium, the Jews began America They flock to it.
Resistance operations
Three resistance fighters belonging to the Palestinian National Liberation Movement infiltratedto open) On June 25, 1974, to the settlement of Nahariya from Lebanon By sea, in an operation that lasted for about 7 continuous hours, the aim of which was to carry out a suicide operation in a cinema, but a passerby revealed their identities and an exchange of fire began, which led to the killing of dozens of Israeli soldiers and the martyrdom of the perpetrators of the operation.
On April 22, 1979, 4 individuals belonging to Palestine Liberation Front A process they called Jamal Abdulnasser.
The resistance fighters used rubber boats to reach the settlement, stormed one of the buildings, and captured two Israelis, which led to a clash with an Israeli force near the beach, killing two resistance fighters and four Israelis.
Border tensions
Due to the city's proximity to the Lebanese border, it has become vulnerable toHezbollah missiles The Lebanese, because it was among the targets of his operations that he announced against “Israeli targets in the Upper Galilee, the Western Galilee, and the Kfar Shuba Hills.”
After the operation Al-Aqsa Flood launched by the Palestinian resistance against the settlements Gaza envelope October 7, 2023 – which was followed by an Israeli aggression on Sector For months, Hezbollah and Palestinian factions began to shell sites in northern Israel, including Nahariya, almost daily.
In April 2024, the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth said that Hizb allah 14 rockets were launched from Lebanon towards Nahariya and settlements in the Western Galilee in northern Israel. The Israeli army intercepted two of them, while 7 fell in open areas. As a result, sirens sounded in the city.
Hezbollah launched a series of drone and missile attacks in August 2024 on Israeli barracks and sites, one of which occurred north of the city of Acre, and a number of Israeli soldiers were injured. Israeli media reported that 19 people were injured in a drone attack on Nahariya.
The Nahariya Municipality asked residents to “reduce unnecessary activities, stay near protected areas, and avoid gatherings in open areas as much as possible.”
Economy
The first settlers planned to make the settlement the first private agricultural area due to its proximity to the mouth of the Ja'tun River and the fertility of its soil, but they failed to establish farms because the river flooded the city streets in the winter, so the residents turned to making it a tourist site.
As for its eastern part, it occupied vast agricultural areas characterised by its fertile soil and abundant water, which made its economy depend on the production of various agricultural crops, including fruits and vegetables. The population also works on raising poultry and livestock.
After the immigration of Jews to it in 1948, the settlement transformed from an agricultural city to an industrial and then a tourist city, and hotels and resorts increased in it.
Two food factories were established on its lands, the first was “Strauss” for the production of dairy products, and the second was “Zoglovk”, which specialized in processed meats. The two factories later became among the largest Israeli food factories.
Old brick walls of houses in Nahariya (Shutterstock)
Landmarks
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Water Tower Museum
It is a symbol of the city and is 27 meters high. It was erected on top of a small hill 10 meters high. After 2003, the municipality cooperated with one of the heritage preservation associations and reopened it, considering it an art gallery for the municipality.
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Byzantine church
Located in the Katzenelson district, this is an open, unfenced church built in the 6th century AD, featuring a mosaic floor depicting animals and birds, as well as hunting scenes.
Despite the city's location on the Mediterranean coast, it does not have a seaport because its beaches are not suitable for this function, as is the case in the city of Netanya, south of the city of Haifa.
But it is considered one of the most important tourist places in the city, for the recreational activities it offers, in addition to its aesthetic aspect.
