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Metula מְטֻלָּה, מטולה‎ المطلة
Local council
Hebrew transcription(s)
• ISO 259	Mṭulla
• Also spelled	Metulla (unofficial)
MetulaShow map of Northeast IsraelMetulaShow map of Israel
Coordinates: 33°16′44″N 35°34′28″E / 33.27889°N 35.57444°E / 33.27889; 35.57444
Country	Israel
District	Northern
Founded	1896; 128 years ago (1896)
Government
• Head of Municipality	David Azulai
Area
• Total	9,413 dunams (9.413 km or 3.634 sq mi)
Population
• Total	1,740
• Density	180/km (480/sq mi)
Name meaning	"Belle vue"
Website	http://www.metulla.muni.il/

Metula (Hebrew: מְטֻלָּה) is a town in the Northern District of Israel. It abuts the Israel-Lebanon border. It had a population of 1,740 in 2022.

History

Bronze and Iron Age

Metula is located near the sites of the biblical cities of Dan, Abel Bet Ma'akha, and Ijon.

Roman and Byzantine periods

A settlement existed in the area in the Roman and Byzantine periods. Ancient wine presses and a mosaic pavement have been found here. A tomb excavated in 1967 contained at least four graves dating from between the late third century and the late sixth century.

Ottoman period

The origin of the town's name is Arabic: المطلة, romanized: al-Muṭallah, lit. 'the lookout'. In 1816 the notable traveller James Silk Buckingham visited "a large village, called Metully, altogether inhabited by Druses". In 1875, Victor Guérin described Methelleh or Metelleh as a village with a spring, occupied by Druzes from the Hauran who cultivated a garden to the east. Soon afterwards, in 1881, the Palestine Exploration Fund's Survey of Western Palestine recorded "El Mutallah: A small village, built of stone, containing about 100 Druzes, situated on slope of hill, near a large stream, surrounded by arable land."

Founding of the Jewish moshava

When the Druze Rebellion of 1895 broke out the men of Mutallah joined its ranks. Since the women were not able to cope with the work, the owner of the land, a Christian from Sidon named Jabur Bey Riskalas (Greek Diplomat to Middle East), sold 12,800 dunams of land to Baron de Rothschild's chief officer Joshua Ossovetski. It had been inhabited and cultivated by more than 600 Druze tenant farmers. When the Druze Rebellion was put down, the men returned and demanded their tenancy rights back. Ossovetski called in the Turkish authorities, who came to arrest the Druse as deserters and rebels, while Ossovetski offered them compensation to leave the land. Many were dissatisfied with the amount offered and eight years of feuds and violent clashes ensued. Eventually an agreement was reached between the villagers and the Jewish Colonization Association in 1904 for an additional payment of 60,000 francs (3,000 Turkish pounds). This episode brought much criticism of the methods of Rothschild's agents, including some from other Zionists such as Ahad Ha'am. The Druze moved to other Druze-inhabited villages, including Isfiya on Mount Carmel.

Mandatory period

At the end of World War I, Metula was in the area of French military occupation. The British Zionist Norman Bentwich wrote in 1919:

Metullah, the most northern outpost, is acquiring a new function as a summer resort for the rest of the country. Its mountain air and its splendid site, high up above a ravine, down which a stream dashes headlong to Jordan, makes it a chosen place in the dry days, and already its few homesteads are crowded in July and August. Metullah is a summer station for the hardy men and women of the colonies; it lies too far from the high road to attract the tourist, but in course of time it, or some other place in the highland region, will become for the Jewish dwellers of the lowlands what a number of hill stations in the Lebanon are already to the Syrians of the plains.

The 1920 boundary agreement between Britain and France stated that Metula was to be in Palestine, but it was not until 1924 that the change to British control was complete. During the intervening years, the residents of Metula even took part in elections for the Lebanese parliament.

• Metula 1926
• Metula 1937
• British army camp
• The bridge over Nahal Ayun after being blown up, 15 February 1948
• Members of Yiftach Brigade (which blew up the bridge)
• Metula camp after Yiftach Brigade takeover, 1948

Nahal Ayyun Bridge

The bridge over Nahal Ayun was built by the British in the years 1943–44. On June 17, 1946 (Night of the bridges) all four Palmach battalions (the Haganah elite units) captured and destroyed 11 border bridges. As a consequence, on June 29, 1946 ("Black Sabbath"), the British soldiers imprisoned many Yishuv leaders and Palmach members. The bridge was blown up again by the Palmach during the War of Independence. It was repaired in the 1980s.

State of Israel

In modern Israel, Metula is known as a wealthy town popular as a tourist destination, especially for Israeli schoolchildren on summer vacation.

1985 attack

The Safari Disaster occurred during the South Lebanon conflict (1985–2000). On the afternoon of Sunday, March 10, 1985, a convoy of IDF soldiers in "Safari" model trucks were driving from Metula towards the Lebanese town of Marjayoun. Dozens of soldiers, having just attended Shabbat, were on their way back to duty. In accordance with regulations, one armed jeep in the forefront and two in the rear, and helmets and bullet-proof vests were worn. As they were crossing the narrow bridge over Nahal Ayyun at 13:45 a red Chevrolet pickup truck drove towards them. The soldiers of the first jeep noticed that the driver had friendly smile, and he was signaled to pull over to let the convoy pass. The first jeep and the first safari truck did so. At 13:50 the driver of the Chevrolet detonated a tremendous explosion which shattered windows in Metula itself. Twelve soldiers were killed and 14 wounded.

2006 Lebanon War

During the 2006 Lebanon War, Metula became a temporary ghost town when its populace fled Hezbollah rocket fire. It was hit by 120 rockets during the war.

Israel–Hamas war

In the midst of the Israel–Hamas war, Hezbollah targeted northern Israeli border communities with rockets and missiles, prompting the evacuation of several, including Metula. On October 17 2023, a Hezbollah-launched anti-tank missile struck Metula, resulting in the injury of one civilian and two IDF reservists.

On 19 December, Hezbollah fired artillery shells at the town.

2024 Israeli invasion of Lebanon

On 30 September 2024, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) launched a limited ground invasion into Southern Lebanon. On that same day, the IDF declared that Metula became a closed military area.

On 23 October 2024, 4 foreign workers and at least two Israelis were killed from a direct Hezbollah rocket strike, with several more seriously wounded.

Area and population

The municipality governs a land area of 2,000 dunams (2 km). According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), in September 2003 Metula had a population of 1,400, predominantly Jewish. Metula was declared a local council in 1949. Also according to the CBS, the population over the years was:

• 1948 – 172
• 1961 – 261
• 1972 – 333
• 1983 – 589
• 1995 – 942
• 2008 – 1,500
• 2022 – 1,740

Geography and climate

Metula lies in the northernmost point of Israel, next to the Lebanese border 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) at 520 m above sea level. According to the Meteorological Service of Israel, the area of Metula is characterized by a Mediterranean climate, with an average annual rainfall of 800-900 mm and winter snows in some years.

Notable residents

• Nancy Caroline (1944-2002), American-born physician and pioneer in emergency medical services
• Olga Danilov (born 1973), Israeli Olympic speed skater
• Alexandra Zaretsky (born 1987), Israeli ice dancer
• Roman Zaretsky (born 1983), Israeli ice dancer

Notes

1. "Regional Statistics". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
2. Palmer, 1881, p. 30
3. Alexandre, 2008, Metulla
4. Jaffe, 2010, Metulla
5. ^ Dauphin, 1998, p. 641
6. Daniel Jacobs; Shirley Eber; Francesca Silvani (1998). Israel and the Palestinian Territories. Rough Guides. p. 254. ISBN 978-1-85828-248-0.
7. Buckingham, 1825, p. 407
8. Guérin, 1880, pp. 345–346
9. Conder and Kitchener, 1881, SWP I, p. 89
10. ^ Morris, 2001, p. 55
11. ^ Avneri, 1984, pp. 96-98
12. Marom, Roy (January 2021). "The Abu Hameds of Mulabbis: An Oral History of a Palestinian Village Depopulated in the Late Ottoman Period". British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies. 48: 2.
13. ^ Yosef Gorney (1987). Zionism and the Arabs, 1882-1948: a study of ideology. USA: Oxford University Press. p. 18. ISBN 978-0-19-822721-2.
14. Alan Dowty (2001). ""A Question That Outweighs All Others": Yitzhak Epstein and Zionist Recognition of the Arab Issue". Israel Studies. 6: 34–54. doi:10.1353/is.2001.0003. S2CID 144575833.
15. Falah, Salman (1975). "A History of the Druze Settlements in Palestine during the Ottoman Period". In Maoz, Moshe (ed.). Studies on Palestine during the Ottoman Period. Jerusalem: Magnes Press. p. 45. ISBN 978-965-223-589-3.
16. ^ Biger, 2004, p. 134
17. Bentwich, 1919, p. 96
18. See municipality plaque at the site
19. ^ Calm Returns to Israeli Border Town Two Years After War
20. "Israel in Mourning as 12 Killed in Suicide-truck Bombing Are Buried". 12 March 1985.
21. Fabian, Emanuel. "Metula missile attack injures 3; IDF kills Hezbollah cell trying to infiltrate border". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
22. الدهيبي, جنى. "هل ينجح الغرب في سحب حزب الله من جنوب الليطاني؟". الجزيرة نت (in Arabic). Retrieved 2023-12-20.
23. "Metula, Misgav Am, Kfar Giladi in Israel's North declared closed military zones". jpost.com. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
24. "Five People Killed in Hezbollah Missile Attack on Israel's Metula". english.aawsat.com. Retrieved 2024-10-31.

Bibliography

• Alexandre, Yardenna (2008-12-30). "Metulla Final Report" (121). Hadashot Arkheologiyot – Excavations and Surveys in Israel. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
• Avneri, Arieh L. (1984). The Claim of Dispossession: Jewish Land-settlement and the Arabs, 1878-1948. Transaction Publishers. ISBN 0-87855-964-7.
• Bentwich, N. (1919). Palestine of the Jews: past, present and future. London: K. Paul, Trench, Trubner.
• Biger, Gideon (2004). The boundaries of modern Palestine, 1840-1947. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-7146-5654-0.
• Buckingham, J.S. (1825). Travels among the Arab Tribes inhabiting the countries east of Syria and Palestine…. London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, Brown and Green.
• Conder, C.R.; Kitchener, H.H. (1881). The Survey of Western Palestine: Memoirs of the Topography, Orography, Hydrography, and Archaeology. Vol. 1. London: Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund.
• Dauphin, C. (1998). La Palestine byzantine, Peuplement et Populations. BAR International Series 726 (in French). Vol. III : Catalogue. Oxford: Archeopress. ISBN 0-860549-05-4.
• Guérin, V. (1880). Description Géographique Historique et Archéologique de la Palestine (in French). Vol. 3: Galilee, pt. 2. Paris: L'Imprimerie Nationale.
• Hadawi, S. (1970). Village Statistics of 1945: A Classification of Land and Area ownership in Palestine. Palestine Liberation Organization Research Center.
• Jaffe, Gilad Bezal'el (2010-02-28). "Metulla Final Report" (122). Hadashot Arkheologiyot – Excavations and Surveys in Israel. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
• Mills, E., ed. (1932). Census of Palestine 1931. Population of Villages, Towns and Administrative Areas. Jerusalem: Government of Palestine.
• Morris, B. (2001). Righteous Victims. Vintage. ISBN 0-679-42120-3.
• 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. Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund.

External links

• Metula municipality
• Places To Visit in Metula (English)
• Canada Centre
• Israel Nature and National Parks Protection Authority, Eng+Heb
• Survey of Western Palestine, Map 2: IAA, Wikimedia commons

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