Abirim is a communal settlement

Communal settlement (Israel)

A community settlement is a type of town in Israel. While in an ordinary town anyone may buy property, in a community settlement the town's residents, who are organized in a cooperative, can veto a sale of a house or a business to an undesirable buyer....

 in northern Israel

Israel

The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

. Located in the Upper Galilee

Upper Galilee

The Upper Galilee is a geographical-political term in use since the end of the Second Temple period, originally referring to a mountainous area overlapping the present northern Israel and southern Lebanon, its borders being the Litani river in the north, the Mediterranean Sea in the west, the Beit...

, three kilometres from Ma'alot-Tarshiha

Ma'alot-Tarshiha

Ma'alot-Tarshiha is a mixed city in the North District in Israel, some 20 km east of Nahariya, about 600 meter above sea level. The city was established in 1963 through a municipal merger of the Arab town of Tarshiha and the Jewish town of Ma'alot...

, it falls under the jurisdiction of Ma'ale Yosef Regional Council

Ma'ale Yosef Regional Council

The Ma'ale Yosef Regional Council is a regional council in the Upper Galilee, part of the North District of Israel, situated between the towns of Ma'alot-Tarshiha and Shlomi. Its offices are located in Gornot HaGalil....

. In 2006 it had a population of 209.

Abirim was established in 1980 and named for the nearby ruins of Metzad Abirim (Fortress of the Knights). It is located in the middle of a natural oak forest bordering the Nahal Kziv

Nahal Kziv

Nahal Kziv is a 20-kilometer long perennial stream in the Upper Galilee, Israel. During the winter, rainfall fills the channel, and springs along the riverbed add to the flow...

 nature reserve.

According to Walid Khalidi

Walid Khalidi

Walid Khalidi is an Oxford University-educated Palestinian historian who has written extensively on the Palestinian exodus. He is General Secretary and co-founder of the Institute for Palestine Studies, established in Beirut in December 1963 as an independent research and publishing center...

, Abirim was founded on the land of the Arab village of Dayr al-Qassi

Dayr al-Qassi

Dayr al-Qassi or Deir el-Qasi is a former Palestinian village located 26 km northeast of the city of Acre.-Geography:The village was located 26 km northeast of the city of Acre, on a rocky hill about 5 km south of the Lebanese border. It was linked by a paved road to Fassuta in...

.

Abirim hosts an annual wine festival showcasing the wines of local vintners.Many of the residents run bed and breakfast

Bed and breakfast

A bed and breakfast is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast, but usually does not offer other meals. Since the 1980s, the meaning of the term has also extended to include accommodations that are also known as "self-catering" establishments...

establishments.