Sakhnin
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| Hebrew | סח'נין, סכנין |
| Government | City (from 1995) |
| District | North |
| Population | 23,900 (CBS end of 2004) |
| Jurisdiction | 9,700 dunams (9.7 km²) |
Sakhnin (Arabic: سخنين; Hebrew: סח'נין or סכנין) is an Arab city in northern Israel. It is located in the Lower Galilee, about 23 km east of Akko. Sakhnin was declared a city in 1995.
It is located on the site of the town Sikhnin (or Sikhni), which flourished during the Roman conquest (2nd century CE).
During the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, Sakhnin surrendered to Israeli forces on July 18, 1948, during Operation Dekel, but was re-captured by Arab forces shortly afterwards. It finally fell without battle into Israeli hands in October 1948. In 1976, it became the site of the first Land Day marches, in which six Israeli Arabs died, protesting government confiscation of 5,000 acres of Arab-owned land near Sakhnin.
In 2003, Sakhnin's team, Bnei Sakhnin, became one of the first Arab teams to play in Israel's top soccer league. In 2004, the team won the Israeli State Cup, and was the first Arab team to do so; consequently, it participated in the UEFA Cup the following season, losing out to Newcastle United.
[edit] External link
- Sakhnin municipality site (in process of development)
