Bayada or Khirbet al-Baiyada is an Arab village in Israel's Haifa District. The village is in the Wadi Ara area of the northern Triangle, 4 kilometers northeast of Umm al-Fahm. Since 1996, it has been under the jurisdiction of the Ma'ale Ironlocal council. In mid-2016 the population of Bayada was 486, all of whom are Muslims. The vast majority of the residents are members of the Jabbarin clan and most of the residents work in construction and other related jobs. Bayada started as part of Musheirifa and later became a separate village. Bayada is the feminine form of the word white in Arabic. The village was so named because of the bright soil found in the area.
Geography
Bayada is one of the smallest villages in the region and is located on a hill overlooking Wadi Ara. The village is located between the Umm al-Fahm mountain ridge and the Menashe Heights.
History
The village was originally a neighborhood of Musheirifa. During the 1948 Arab-Israeli Warthe village and the surrounding area came under Iraqi control. In March 1949 Jordanian forces replaced the Iraqi forces in Wadi Ara. On 3 April1949Israel and Jordan signed an armistice agreement, in which Israel would receive the Wadi Ara area and on 20 MayIsraeli forces took control of the village. Bayada is one of the villages of Wadi Ara that lacked municipal status after the establishment of Israel, under the administration of mukhtars who were appointed by the Interior Ministry until 1992 when the Interior Ministry established the Nahal IronRegional council. The locals' objected to the administrative arrangement, and sought independent municipal status for each village. To allay local concerns, the Interior Ministry established an investigative committee to examine other options, and in 1996, decided to split the regional council into two local councils: Ma'ale Iron, which includes Bayada, and Basma.
Year
1972
1983
1995
2008
2016
Population
127
185
276
N/A*
486
*In the 2008 census Bayada and Musheirifa were counted together and their population was 3,100
