The
Triangle , formerly referred to as the
Little triangle, is a concentration of Israeli Arab towns and villages adjacent to the
Green LineThe term Green Line is used to refer to the 1949 Armistice lines established between Israel and its neighbours after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War...
, located in the eastern Sharon plain among the
SamariaSamaria, or the Shomron is a term used for a mountainous region roughly corresponding to the northern part of the West Bank.- Etymology :...
n foothills. The name derives from the "triangle" of settlements visible from an aerial view.
Prior to the
1948 Arab-Israeli WarThe 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known by Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation and by Palestinians as the Catastrophe , was the first in a series of wars fought between the newly declared State of Israel and its Arab neighbours in the long-running Arab-Israeli conflict.The war...
and Israel's establishment and sovereignty over that area, it was referred to as the "Little Triangle" to differentiate it from the larger "Triangle" region between
JeninJenin , is a Palestinian city located in the northern West Bank. It serves as the administrative center of the Jenin Governorate and is a major agricultural center for the surrounding towns. In 2007, the city had a population of 120,000 while the adjacent refugee camp had a population of over 20,300...
,
TulkarmTulkarm or Tulkarem is a Palestinian city in the Tulkarm Governorate in the northwestern West Bank. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, Tulkarm city and the adjacent refugee camp had a population of approximately 58,962 inhabitants at mid-year 2006...
, and
NablusNablus is a Palestinian city in the northern West Bank, approximately north of Jerusalem, with a population of 134,000...
, so-called due to the extensive anti-Jewish attacks there during the 1936–1939 Arab revolt.
Soon after the area was transferred to Israel from Jordan as part of the
1949 Armistice AgreementsThe 1949 Armistice Agreements are a set of agreements signed during 1949 between Israel and neighboring Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria. The agreements ended the official hostilities of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, and established armistice lines between Israel and the Jordanian-held West Bank,...
, the term was expanded to include the entire area around
Umm al-FahmUmm al-Fahm is a city in the Haifa District of Israel with a population of 43,300, nearly all of whom are Arab citizens of Israel. The city is situated on the Umm al-Fahm mountain ridge, the highest point of which is Mt. Iskander , overlooking Wadi Ara...
rather than just the towns of
Kafr QasimKafr Qasim , is a hill-top Israeli Arab city located about twenty kilometers east of Tel Aviv, near the Green Line separating Israel and the West Bank, on the southern portion of the "Little Triangle" of Arab-Israeli towns and villages...
,
JaljuliaJaljulia , officially also spelled Jaljulye, is a local council in the Center District of Israel, located next to Hod HaSharon and Kfar Sava. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics , its population was 8,000 at the end of 2006...
and
Kafr BaraKafr Bara or Kfar Bara is an Israeli-Arab local council in Israel's Center District. The small town, located near the Green Line, is often considered a part of the Little Triangle along with Kafr Qasim and Jaljulia.- See also :...
, and the "Little" appendage quickly fell out of common use.
Today the Triangle refers to the towns of
- al-Arian
al-Arian is an Arab village in northern Israel. Located in Wadi Ara, it falls under the jurisdiction of Menashe Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 286....
- Ar'ara
Ar'ara is an Israeli Arab town in the Wadi Ara region in the Galilee. It is located south of Umm al-Fahm just northwest of the Green Line and is part of the Triangle. In 2009, the population was 16,700. -History:...
(includes the village of 'AraAra is an Israeli Arab village in the Haifa District located in the Wadi Ara, which since 1985 has been part of the Ar'ara local council. It is north of highway 65, between Ar'ara and Kfar Qara. Its population of 4,600 is almost entirely Muslim....
)
- Baqa-Jatt (result of merger of Baqa al-Gharbiyye
Baqa al-Gharbiyye is a city in the Haifa District in Israel, located near the Green Line.According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics , at the end of 2001 the city had a total population of 19,200...
and Jatt)
- Ein al-Sala
- Jalma
- Kafr Qara
Kafr Qara or Kafr Qari is an Israeli-Arab town southeast of Haifa, Israel. In 2006, the population was 14,800. Kafr Qara, governed by a local council, is part of the Triangle. It is located in the Wadi Ara region, northwest of the Green Line. Most of the inhabitants are Muslim...
- Ma'ale Iron
Ma'ale Iron is an Israeli-Arab local council in Israel's Haifa District and is a part of the Wadi Ara region adjacent to the Triangle. The town consists of the five Arab villages of Baiada, Musmus, Salim, Musheirifa and Zalafa. The villages were joined together by the Interior Ministry of Israel...
- Ma'oia
- Meiser
Meiser is an Israeli Arab village located 0.5km west of the Green Line north of the city of Baqa-Jatt in the Wadi Ara region. It is one of three Arab villages in the Menashe Regional Council and is part of the triangle...
- Musmus
Musmus is an Israeli-Arab village within the local council of Ma'ale Iron in Israel's Haifa District. It is located north of the city Umm al-Fahm in the Wadi Ara region and is part of the triangle.-See also:*List of Arab localities in Israel...
- Qalansawe
Qalansawe or Qalansuwa is a city in the Center District of Israel. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics , at the end of 2007, the city had a total population of 17,800, making it the 2nd smallest city in the country...
- Tayibe
Tayibe is an Israeli Arab city in central Israel. In 2007, it had a population of 34,800 residents. Tayibe is part of the Triangle.-History:...
- Tira
- Umm al-Fahm
Umm al-Fahm is a city in the Haifa District of Israel with a population of 43,300, nearly all of whom are Arab citizens of Israel. The city is situated on the Umm al-Fahm mountain ridge, the highest point of which is Mt. Iskander , overlooking Wadi Ara...
- Umm al-Qutuf
- Zemer
Zemer is an Arab local council in the Center District of Israel. It is located in the Arab Triangle area, between Baqa-Jatt and Bat Hefer on Road 574. Zemer is the result of a merger of four villages - Yama, Bir as-Sika, Ibtan and Marja - in 1988...
(result of merger of Bir as-Sikka, Yamma, Marja and Ibthin villages)
Several Israeli politicians have suggested by the Triangle should be transferred to a future Palestinian state in exchange for Israel retaining sovereignty over
settlementsIsraeli settlements are Israeli civilian communities in the Israeli-occupied territories . Such settlements currently exist in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights...
in the
West BankThe West Bank is a landlocked territory and is the eastern part of the Palestinian territories; on the west bank of the River Jordan in the Middle East. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel, which maintains the security of this area. To the east,...
.
The
Triangle , formerly referred to as the
Little triangle, is a concentration of Israeli Arab towns and villages adjacent to the
Green LineThe term Green Line is used to refer to the 1949 Armistice lines established between Israel and its neighbours after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War...
, located in the eastern Sharon plain among the
SamariaSamaria, or the Shomron is a term used for a mountainous region roughly corresponding to the northern part of the West Bank.- Etymology :...
n foothills. The name derives from the "triangle" of settlements visible from an aerial view.
Prior to the
1948 Arab-Israeli WarThe 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known by Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation and by Palestinians as the Catastrophe , was the first in a series of wars fought between the newly declared State of Israel and its Arab neighbours in the long-running Arab-Israeli conflict.The war...
and Israel's establishment and sovereignty over that area, it was referred to as the "Little Triangle" to differentiate it from the larger "Triangle" region between
JeninJenin , is a Palestinian city located in the northern West Bank. It serves as the administrative center of the Jenin Governorate and is a major agricultural center for the surrounding towns. In 2007, the city had a population of 120,000 while the adjacent refugee camp had a population of over 20,300...
,
TulkarmTulkarm or Tulkarem is a Palestinian city in the Tulkarm Governorate in the northwestern West Bank. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, Tulkarm city and the adjacent refugee camp had a population of approximately 58,962 inhabitants at mid-year 2006...
, and
NablusNablus is a Palestinian city in the northern West Bank, approximately north of Jerusalem, with a population of 134,000...
, so-called due to the extensive anti-Jewish attacks there during the 1936–1939 Arab revolt.
Soon after the area was transferred to Israel from Jordan as part of the
1949 Armistice AgreementsThe 1949 Armistice Agreements are a set of agreements signed during 1949 between Israel and neighboring Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria. The agreements ended the official hostilities of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, and established armistice lines between Israel and the Jordanian-held West Bank,...
, the term was expanded to include the entire area around
Umm al-FahmUmm al-Fahm is a city in the Haifa District of Israel with a population of 43,300, nearly all of whom are Arab citizens of Israel. The city is situated on the Umm al-Fahm mountain ridge, the highest point of which is Mt. Iskander , overlooking Wadi Ara...
rather than just the towns of
Kafr QasimKafr Qasim , is a hill-top Israeli Arab city located about twenty kilometers east of Tel Aviv, near the Green Line separating Israel and the West Bank, on the southern portion of the "Little Triangle" of Arab-Israeli towns and villages...
,
JaljuliaJaljulia , officially also spelled Jaljulye, is a local council in the Center District of Israel, located next to Hod HaSharon and Kfar Sava. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics , its population was 8,000 at the end of 2006...
and
Kafr BaraKafr Bara or Kfar Bara is an Israeli-Arab local council in Israel's Center District. The small town, located near the Green Line, is often considered a part of the Little Triangle along with Kafr Qasim and Jaljulia.- See also :...
, and the "Little" appendage quickly fell out of common use.
Today the Triangle refers to the towns of
- al-Arian
al-Arian is an Arab village in northern Israel. Located in Wadi Ara, it falls under the jurisdiction of Menashe Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 286....
- Ar'ara
Ar'ara is an Israeli Arab town in the Wadi Ara region in the Galilee. It is located south of Umm al-Fahm just northwest of the Green Line and is part of the Triangle. In 2009, the population was 16,700. -History:...
(includes the village of 'AraAra is an Israeli Arab village in the Haifa District located in the Wadi Ara, which since 1985 has been part of the Ar'ara local council. It is north of highway 65, between Ar'ara and Kfar Qara. Its population of 4,600 is almost entirely Muslim....
)
- Baqa-Jatt (result of merger of Baqa al-Gharbiyye
Baqa al-Gharbiyye is a city in the Haifa District in Israel, located near the Green Line.According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics , at the end of 2001 the city had a total population of 19,200...
and Jatt)
- Ein al-Sala
- Jalma
- Kafr Qara
Kafr Qara or Kafr Qari is an Israeli-Arab town southeast of Haifa, Israel. In 2006, the population was 14,800. Kafr Qara, governed by a local council, is part of the Triangle. It is located in the Wadi Ara region, northwest of the Green Line. Most of the inhabitants are Muslim...
- Ma'ale Iron
Ma'ale Iron is an Israeli-Arab local council in Israel's Haifa District and is a part of the Wadi Ara region adjacent to the Triangle. The town consists of the five Arab villages of Baiada, Musmus, Salim, Musheirifa and Zalafa. The villages were joined together by the Interior Ministry of Israel...
- Ma'oia
- Meiser
Meiser is an Israeli Arab village located 0.5km west of the Green Line north of the city of Baqa-Jatt in the Wadi Ara region. It is one of three Arab villages in the Menashe Regional Council and is part of the triangle...
- Musmus
Musmus is an Israeli-Arab village within the local council of Ma'ale Iron in Israel's Haifa District. It is located north of the city Umm al-Fahm in the Wadi Ara region and is part of the triangle.-See also:*List of Arab localities in Israel...
- Qalansawe
Qalansawe or Qalansuwa is a city in the Center District of Israel. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics , at the end of 2007, the city had a total population of 17,800, making it the 2nd smallest city in the country...
- Tayibe
Tayibe is an Israeli Arab city in central Israel. In 2007, it had a population of 34,800 residents. Tayibe is part of the Triangle.-History:...
- Tira
- Umm al-Fahm
Umm al-Fahm is a city in the Haifa District of Israel with a population of 43,300, nearly all of whom are Arab citizens of Israel. The city is situated on the Umm al-Fahm mountain ridge, the highest point of which is Mt. Iskander , overlooking Wadi Ara...
- Umm al-Qutuf
- Zemer
Zemer is an Arab local council in the Center District of Israel. It is located in the Arab Triangle area, between Baqa-Jatt and Bat Hefer on Road 574. Zemer is the result of a merger of four villages - Yama, Bir as-Sika, Ibtan and Marja - in 1988...
(result of merger of Bir as-Sikka, Yamma, Marja and Ibthin villages)
Several Israeli politicians have suggested by the Triangle should be transferred to a future Palestinian state in exchange for Israel retaining sovereignty over
settlementsIsraeli settlements are Israeli civilian communities in the Israeli-occupied territories . Such settlements currently exist in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights...
in the
West BankThe West Bank is a landlocked territory and is the eastern part of the Palestinian territories; on the west bank of the River Jordan in the Middle East. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel, which maintains the security of this area. To the east,...
. The idea is a major plank of the
Lieberman PlanThe Lieberman Plan, proposed May, 2004, also known in Israel as the "Populated-Area Exchange Plan", was proposed by Avigdor Lieberman, the leader of the Israeli political party Yisrael Beiteinu...
put forward by Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman but is largely opposed by Israeli Arabs.