# Mas-ha

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**Mas-ha** (Arabic: مسحة) is a [Palestinian](/source/Palestinian_territories) village in the [Salfit Governorate](/source/Salfit_Governorate) in the northern [West Bank](/source/West_Bank), 24 kilometers southwest of Nablus. According to the [Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics](/source/Palestinian_Central_Bureau_of_Statistics), it had a population of 2,370 in 2017.[2]

## Location

Mas-ha is 12.5 kilometers (7.8 mi) north-west of [Salfit](/source/Salfit). It is bordered by [Biddya](/source/Biddya) to the east, [Az Zawiya](/source/Az_Zawiya) to the south, [Azzun Atma](/source/Azzun_Atma) to the west, and [Sanniriya](/source/Sanniriya) and [Beit Amin](/source/Beit_Amin) to the north.[3]

## History

[Potsherds](/source/Sherd) from the [Byzantine](/source/Byzantine_Empire), [Byzantine](/source/Byzantine_Empire)/[Umayyad](/source/Umayyad_Caliphate), [Crusader](/source/Crusader_states)/[Ayyubid](/source/Ayyubid_dynasty) and [Mamluk](/source/Mamluk_Sultanate_(Cairo)) era have been found here. In the northwest of the village, a few reused bossed stones were found by the survey team.[4]

### Ottoman era

Potsherds from the early Ottoman era have also been found.[4] Masha appeared in 1596 [Ottoman](/source/Ottoman_empire) [tax registers](/source/Daftar) as being in the *[Nahiya](/source/Nahiya)* of Jabal Qubal, part of the [Sanjak of Nablus](/source/Sanjak_of_Nablus). It had a population of five households, all [Muslim](/source/Muslim). They paid a fixed tax rate of 33.3% on agricultural products, including wheat, barley, summer crops, olive trees, goats and beehives, a press for olives or grapes, and occasional revenues and a fixed tax for people of Nablus area; a total of 2,300 [akçe](/source/Ak%C3%A7e).[5]

In the 18th and 19th centuries, Mas-ha formed part of the highland region known as Jūrat ‘Amra or Bilād Jammā‘īn. Situated between [Dayr Ghassāna](/source/Dayr_Ghassana) in the south and the present [Route 5](/source/Highway_5_(Israel%E2%80%93Palestine)) in the north, and between [Majdal Yābā](/source/Majdal_Yaba) in the west and [Jammā‘īn](/source/Jamma'in), [Mardā](/source/Marda,_Salfit) and [Kifl Ḥāris](/source/Kifl_Haris) in the east, this area served, according to historian [Roy Marom](/source/Roy_Marom), "as a buffer zone between the political-economic-social units of the [Jerusalem](/source/Jerusalem) and the [Nablus](/source/Nablus) regions. On the political level, it suffered from instability due to the migration of the [Bedouin](/source/Bedouin) tribes and the constant competition among local clans for the right to collect taxes on behalf of the [Ottoman authorities](/source/Ottoman_Empire)."[6]

In 1838, [Edward Robinson](/source/Edward_Robinson_(scholar)) noted it as a village, *Mes-ha*, in the *Jurat Merda* district, south of Nablus.[7]

French explorer [Victor Guérin](/source/Victor_Gu%C3%A9rin) passed by the village in 1870, and estimated it as having about 300–350 inhabitants, and fig-tree lined borders.[8]

In 1870/1871 (1288 [AH](/source/Anno_Hegirae)), an Ottoman census listed the village in the *[nahiya](/source/Nahiyah)* (sub-district) of Jamma'in al-Thani, subordinate to Nablus.[9]

In 1882 the [PEF](/source/Palestine_Exploration_Fund)'s *[Survey of Western Palestine](/source/PEF_Survey_of_Palestine)* (SWP) described Mes-ha as "a good-sized village, with a high central house, but partly ruinous. It is supplied by [cisterns](/source/Cistern), and the houses are of stone."[10]

### British Mandate era

In the [1922 census of Palestine](/source/1922_census_of_Palestine) conducted by the [British Mandate authorities](/source/Mandatory_Palestine), Mas-ha (called: Masha) had a population of 80, all Muslims,[11] increasing slightly in the [1931 census](/source/1931_census_of_Palestine) to 87 Muslims in a total of 20 houses.[12]

In the [1945 statistics](/source/Village_Statistics,_1945) the population was 110, all Muslims,[13] while the total land area was 8,263 [dunams](/source/Dunam), according to an official land and population survey.[14] Of this, 1,612 were allocated for plantations and irrigable land, 2,482 for cereals,[15] while 18 dunams were classified as built-up (urban) areas.[16]

### Jordanian era

In the wake of the [1948 Arab–Israeli War](/source/1948_Arab%E2%80%93Israeli_War), and after the [1949 Armistice Agreements](/source/1949_Armistice_Agreements), Mas-ha came under [Jordanian rule](/source/Jordanian_annexation_of_the_West_Bank).

In 1961, the population was 478.[17]

### Post-1967

Since the [Six-Day War](/source/Six-Day_War) in 1967, Mas-ha has been under [Israeli occupation](/source/Israeli_occupation_of_the_West_Bank).

In the early 2000s, there were several protest against the plans of the building of the [Israeli West Bank barrier](/source/Israeli_West_Bank_barrier), which would cut off Mas-ha villagers from much of their land. The protest, which resulted in the shooting of one Israeli citizen in 2003,[18] were ultimately unsuccessful.

#### Loss of land

Mas-ha has been subjected to numerous Israeli confiscations for the benefit of various Israeli objectives. [ARIJ](/source/Applied_Research_Institute_-_Jerusalem) lists the losses as follows:

Israeli Settlements bordering Mas-ha village and land loss Settlement Date of establishment Pop 2013 Area confiscated from Mas-ha Elkana 1977 3,719 1,626 Etz Efraim 1985 731 546 Sha'arei Tikva 1982 4,493 8 Bnot Orot Yisrael 1989 – 176 Total 8,943 2,356 Source: ARIJ 2013[19]

#### See also

- [The Color of Olives](/source/The_Color_of_Olives), documentary film about the Amer family, in Mas-ha

## References

1. Palmer, 1881, p. [239](https://archive.org/stream/surveyofwesternp00conduoft#page/239/mode/1up)

1. [*Preliminary Results of the Population, Housing and Establishments Census, 2017*](https://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Downloads/book2364-1.pdf). [State of Palestine](/source/State_of_Palestine). February 2018. pp. 64–82. Retrieved 2023-10-24.

1. [Mas-ha Village Profile](http://vprofile.arij.org/salfit/pdfs/vprofile/Mas-ha_vp_en.pdf), ARIJ, p. 4

1. Finkelstein, 1997, p. 264

1. Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 131

1. Marom, Roy (2022-11-01). ["Jindās: A History of Lydda's Rural Hinterland in the 15th to the 20th Centuries CE"](https://www.academia.edu/90931976). *Lod, Lydda, Diospolis*. **1**: 17.

1. Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, Appendix 2, p. [126](https://archive.org/stream/biblicalresearch03robiuoft#page/126/mode/1up)

1. Guérin, 1875, p. [145](https://archive.org/stream/descriptiongogr04gugoog#page/n170/mode/1up) ff

1. Grossman, David (2004). *Arab Demography and Early Jewish Settlement in Palestine*. Jerusalem: Magnes Press. p. 253.

1. Conder and Kitchener, 1882, SWP II, p. [286](https://archive.org/stream/surveyofwesternp02conduoft#page/286/mode/1up)

1. Barron, 1923, Table IX, Sub-district of Nablus, p. [26](https://archive.org/stream/PalestineCensus1922/Palestine%20Census%20%281922%29#page/n28/mode/1up)

1. Mills, 1932, p. [63](https://archive.org/details/CensusOfPalestine1931.PopulationOfVillagesTownsAndAdministrativeAreas)

1. Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics, 1945, p. [19](http://users.cecs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/yabber/census/VSpages/VS1945_p19.jpg)

1. Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. *Village Statistics, April, 1945.* Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. [60](http://www.palestineremembered.com/download/VillageStatistics/Table%20I/Nablus/Page-060.jpg)

1. Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. *Village Statistics, April, 1945.* Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. [107](http://www.palestineremembered.com/download/VillageStatistics/Table%20II/Nablus/Page-107.jpg)

1. Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. *Village Statistics, April, 1945.* Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. [157](http://www.palestineremembered.com/download/VillageStatistics/Table%20III/Nablus/Page-157.jpg)

1. Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics, 1964, p. [26](http://users.cecs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/yabber/census/JordanCensusPages/JordanCensus1961-p26.pdf)

1. [Police Question Israeli Shot by IDF Troops During Fence Protest](https://web.archive.org/web/20171028200708/https://www.haaretz.com/news/police-question-israeli-shot-by-idf-troops-during-fence-protest-1.109948), Amos Harel, Dec 28, 2003, [Haaretz](/source/Haaretz)

1. [Mas-ha Village Profile](http://vprofile.arij.org/salfit/pdfs/vprofile/Mas-ha_vp_en.pdf), ARIJ, 2013, p. 17

## Bibliography

- Barron, J.B. (ed.) (1923). [*Palestine: Report and General Abstracts of the Census of 1922*](https://archive.org/details/PalestineCensus1922). Government of Palestine.
- Conder, C.R. & Kitchener, H.H. (1882). [*The Survey of Western Palestine: Memoirs of the Topography, Orography, Hydrography, and Archaeology*](https://archive.org/details/surveyofwesternp02conduoft). Vol. 2. London: [Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund](/source/Palestine_Exploration_Fund)
- Finkelstein, I. & Lederman, Zvi (eds.) (1997). [*Highlands of many cultures*](https://books.google.com/books?id=hA59tgAACAAJ). [Tel Aviv](/source/Tel_Aviv): Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University Publications Section. ISBN 965-440-007-3.
- Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics (1964). [*First Census of Population and Housing. Volume I: Final Tables; General Characteristics of the Population*](http://cs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/yabber/census/JordanCensus1961bits.pdf)
- Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics (1945). [*Village Statistics, April, 1945*](http://web.nli.org.il/sites/nli/Hebrew/library/Pages/BookReader.aspx?pid=856390)
- Guérin, V. (1875). [*Description Géographique Historique et Archéologique de la Palestine*](https://archive.org/details/descriptiongogr04gugoog) (in French). Vol. 2: Samarie, pt. 2. Paris: L'Imprimerie Nationale.
- Hadawi, S. (1970). [*Village Statistics of 1945: A Classification of Land and Area ownership in Palestine*](http://www.palestineremembered.com/Articles/General-2/Story3150.html). Palestine Liberation Organization Research Center.
- Hütteroth, W.-D. & Abdulfattah, K. (1977). [*Historical Geography of Palestine, Transjordan and Southern Syria in the Late 16th Century*](https://books.google.com/books?id=wqULAAAAIAAJ). Erlanger Geographische Arbeiten, Sonderband 5. Erlangen, Germany: Vorstand der Fränkischen Geographischen Gesellschaft. ISBN 3-920405-41-2.
- Mills, E. (ed.) (1932). [*Census of Palestine 1931. Population of Villages, Towns and Administrative Areas*](https://archive.org/details/CensusOfPalestine1931.PopulationOfVillagesTownsAndAdministrativeAreas). Jerusalem: Government of Palestine.
- Palmer, E.H. (1881). [*The Survey of Western Palestine: Arabic and English Name Lists Collected During the Survey by Lieutenants Conder and Kitchener, R. E. Transliterated and Explained by E.H. Palmer*](https://archive.org/details/surveyofwesternp00conduoft). [Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund](/source/Palestine_Exploration_Fund)
- Reinhart, T. (2006). [*The Road Map to Nowhere: Israel/Palestine Since 2003*](https://books.google.com/books?id=E_hxx4pXDZoC). London; New York: [Verso](/source/Verso_Books). ISBN 1-84467-076-7.
- Robinson, E. & Smith, E. (1841). [*Biblical Researches in Palestine, Mount Sinai and Arabia Petraea: A Journal of Travels in the year 1838*](https://archive.org/details/biblicalresearch03robiuoft). Vol. 3. Boston: [Crocker & Brewster](/source/Crocker_%26_Brewster)

## External links

- [Welcome To Mas-ha](http://www.palestineremembered.com/GeoPoints/Mas_ha_1402/index.html)
- [Mas'ha](http://iwps.info/villages/masha/), IWPS
- [Mas’ha](https://www.welcometopalestine.com/destinations/salfit/masha/), Welcome to Palestine
- Survey of Western Palestine, Map 14: [IAA](https://web.archive.org/web/20180928072721/http://www.iaa-archives.org.il/zoom/zoom.aspx?folder_id=93&type_id=6&id=8376), [Wikimedia commons](http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Survey_of_Western_Palestine_1880.14.jpg)
- [Mas-ha Village (Fact Sheet)](http://vprofile.arij.org/salfit/pdfs/factsheet/Mas-ha.pdf), [Applied Research Institute–Jerusalem](/source/Applied_Research_Institute%E2%80%93Jerusalem) (ARIJ)
- [Mas-ha Village Profile](http://vprofile.arij.org/salfit/pdfs/vprofile/Mas-ha_vp_en.pdf), ARIJ
- [Mas-ha, aerial photo](http://vprofile.arij.org/salfit/images/english/Mas-ha_ap_en.jpg), ARIJ
- [Development Priorities and Needs in Mas-ha](http://vprofile.arij.org/salfit/pdfs/needsfordevelopment/Mas-ha_needs_en.pdf), ARIJ
- [The people of Mas'ha protest against the wall](http://zope.gush-shalom.org/home/en/campaigns/against_the_wall/thewall_masha_eng) 27/07/03, Gush Shalom
- [Mas-ha: A village robbed by the Segregation Wall](http://poica.org/2004/03/mas-ha-a-village-robbed-by-the-segregation-wall/) 24 March 2004, POICA
- [Difficult olive harvest season in Mas-ha Village](http://poica.org/2006/11/difficult-olive-harvest-season-in-mas-ha-village/) 27 November 2006, POICA
- [Israeli Occupation Forces prevent Mas-ha villagers from reaching their lands behind the Isolation Wall](http://poica.org/2010/01/israeli-occupation-forces-prevent-mas-ha-villagers-from-reaching-their-lands-behind-the-isolation-wall/), 24 January 2010, POICA
- [Confiscation until further Notice Az Zawiya and Mas-ha- Salfit Governorate](http://poica.org/2012/01/confiscation-until-further-notice-az-zawiya-and-mas-ha-salfit-governorate/) 10 January 2012, POICA
- [Mas-ha map](https://web.archive.org/web/20051222084339/http://www.poica.org/editor/case_studies/Mas-ha%20map%20%201.jpg)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Mas-ha](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mas-ha) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mas-ha?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.