Kafr Qara
Zahalka was born in Kafr Qara. As a teenager, he participated in PLO activities in the town. He attended a Jewish high school in nearby Haifa. While in the middle of 12th grade, he was arrested over his PLO activities, as at the time the PLO was an outlawed organization. He was subsequently convicted and imprisoned for two years. He completed his matriculation in prison. After his release from prison, he studied pharmacy at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He earned a BA, MA and PhD. His doctoral thesis was on the physiological properties of hashish. He worked as a pharmacist prior to his entry into politics.