The program for prevention of hemoglobinopathies in Northern Israel, instituted since 1987, covered the northern part of Israel, including the Jezreel valley, the Nazareth area, the upper Galilee, the Hula valley and the northern part of the seashore region7. The overall population in this region is about a million inhabitants with about 50 % of Arab population, and a significant percentage of them from Bedouin origin, a population that at least partially is of African origin.