'Akbara
Encyclopedia
'Akbara was a Palestinian
village, located 2.5 kilometres south of Safad, which was depopulated in 1948.
that ran north-south. Southeast of the village lay Khirbat al-Uqayba, identified as the Roman
village Achabare, or Acchabaron. This khirba was a populated village as late as 1904.
By the late nineteenth century, the village of 'Akbara was described as a village built of stone and mud with about 90 inhabitants who cultivated olive
and fig
trees.
During the British Mandate of Palestine period the village houses were made of masonry. The villagers were predominantly Muslim
. In 1944 they planted a total of 2,222 dunum
s in cereal
s, while 199 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards.
first battalion. It was found that many of the villagers had fled due to news of Deir Yassin
and 'Ein al Zeitun, the village was then blown up and destroyed.
25 May 1948, during Operation Yiftah, under the command of Yigal Allon
, Galilee was cleared of its Palestinian Arab population. The Palmach's First Battalion. Following the 25 May exodus of al-Khisas
the last 55 villagers who had remained in their homes for just over a year were 'transferred' by Israeli forces despite having good relations and collaborating with Jewish settlements in the area. During the night of 5/6 June 1949, the village of al-Khisas was surrounded by trucks and the villagers were forced into the trucks ’with kicks, curses and maltreatment,’ in the words of a Mapam
Knesset member, Elizer Peri, quoted by Morris: "The remaining villagers said that they had been ’forced with their hands to destroy their dwellings,’ and had been treated like ’cattle.’ They were then dumped on a bare, sun-scorched hillside near the village of ’Akbara [by then an abandoned Palestinian Arab village] where they were left ’wandering in the wilderness, thirsty and hungry.’ They lived there under inhuman conditions for years afterwards," along with the inhabitants of at least two other villages (Qaddita
and al-Ja'una
) expelled in similar circumstances. The expelees remained at ’Akbara for eighteen years until agreeing to resettlement in Wadi Hamam
.
, author of the Atlas of Palestine, estimated that the number of Palestinian refugee
s from 'Akbara in 1998 was 1,852 people.
Of what remains of 'Akbara's built structures today, Walid Khalidi
writes that, "The original inhabitants of the village were replaced by "internal" refugees from Qaddita
villages several kilometers north of Safad. Since 1980, however, these refugees have been gradually relocated to the nearby, planned village of 'Akbara, 0.5 km west of the old village site. As a precondition of the relocation, each family was required to demolish its home in the former village. Today, fifteen of the old houses still stand on the site, in addition to the school. The new village of 'Akbara was placed under the administration of the city of Safad in 1977"
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
village, located 2.5 kilometres south of Safad, which was depopulated in 1948.
Location
The village of 'Akbara was situated 2.5 km south of Safad, along the two sides of a deep wadiWadi
Wadi is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley. In some cases, it may refer to a dry riverbed that contains water only during times of heavy rain or simply an intermittent stream.-Variant names:...
that ran north-south. Southeast of the village lay Khirbat al-Uqayba, identified as the Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
village Achabare, or Acchabaron. This khirba was a populated village as late as 1904.
History
The nearby khirba was excavated during the Mandate period, and was shown to contain remains such as building foundations, hewn stones, and wine presses.By the late nineteenth century, the village of 'Akbara was described as a village built of stone and mud with about 90 inhabitants who cultivated olive
Olive
The olive , Olea europaea), is a species of a small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin as well as northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea.Its fruit, also called the olive, is of major agricultural importance in the...
and fig
Ficus
Ficus is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes, and hemiepiphyte in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the semi-warm temperate zone. The Common Fig Ficus is a genus of...
trees.
During the British Mandate of Palestine period the village houses were made of masonry. The villagers were predominantly Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
. In 1944 they planted a total of 2,222 dunum
Dunum
Dunum is a municipality in the district of Wittmund, in Lower Saxony, Germany....
s in cereal
Cereal
Cereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...
s, while 199 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards.
1948 War
During the siege of Safad 'Akbara was targeted for occupation in line with Plan D. The Hagana attack was launched on 9 May and completed by the PalmachPalmach
The Palmach was the elite fighting force of the Haganah, the underground army of the Yishuv during the period of the British Mandate of Palestine. The Palmach was established on May 15, 1941...
first battalion. It was found that many of the villagers had fled due to news of Deir Yassin
Deir Yassin massacre
The Deir Yassin massacre took place on April 9, 1948, when around 120 fighters from the Irgun Zevai Leumi and Lohamei Herut Israel Zionist paramilitary groups attacked Deir Yassin near Jerusalem, a Palestinian-Arab village of roughly 600 people...
and 'Ein al Zeitun, the village was then blown up and destroyed.
25 May 1948, during Operation Yiftah, under the command of Yigal Allon
Yigal Allon
Yigal Allon was an Israeli politician, a commander of the Palmach, and a general in the IDF. He served as one of the leaders of Ahdut HaAvoda party and the Israeli Labor party, and acting Prime Minister of Israel, and was a member of the Knesset and government minister from the 10th through the...
, Galilee was cleared of its Palestinian Arab population. The Palmach's First Battalion. Following the 25 May exodus of al-Khisas
Al-Khisas
Al-Khisas was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Safad in Mandate Palestine.-Geography:Al-Khisas was located north northeast of Safad upon a natural terrace about wide. The terrace was formed thousands of years earlier after ancient Lake al-Hula receded...
the last 55 villagers who had remained in their homes for just over a year were 'transferred' by Israeli forces despite having good relations and collaborating with Jewish settlements in the area. During the night of 5/6 June 1949, the village of al-Khisas was surrounded by trucks and the villagers were forced into the trucks ’with kicks, curses and maltreatment,’ in the words of a Mapam
Mapam
Mapam was a political party in Israel and is one of the ancestors of the modern-day Meretz party.-History:Mapam was formed by a January 1948 merger of the Hashomer Hatzair Workers Party and Ahdut HaAvoda Poale Zion Movement. The party was originally Marxist-Zionist in its outlook and represented...
Knesset member, Elizer Peri, quoted by Morris: "The remaining villagers said that they had been ’forced with their hands to destroy their dwellings,’ and had been treated like ’cattle.’ They were then dumped on a bare, sun-scorched hillside near the village of ’Akbara [by then an abandoned Palestinian Arab village] where they were left ’wandering in the wilderness, thirsty and hungry.’ They lived there under inhuman conditions for years afterwards," along with the inhabitants of at least two other villages (Qaddita
Qaddita
Qaddita was a Palestinian Arab village of 240, located northwest of Safad. It was captured and depopulated in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, with some of its inhabitants fleeing to nearby Akbara where they live as internally displaced Palestinians and others to refugee camps in Lebanon or...
and al-Ja'una
Al-Ja'una
Al-Ja'una or Ja'ouna , was a Palestinian village situated in Galilee on the slopes of Mount Canaan near al-Houleh Plateau, overlooking the Jordan Valley. The village lay on a beautiful hill side 450–500 meters above sea level, 5 kilometers east of Safad near a major road connecting Safad with...
) expelled in similar circumstances. The expelees remained at ’Akbara for eighteen years until agreeing to resettlement in Wadi Hamam
Hamaam
Hamaam , or Wadi Hamam, is a Bedouin village near the Sea of Galilee and Mount Arbel in northern Israel. It is the easternmost part of the al-Batuf Regional Council. It contains one fairly modern mosque and the trail head for the steep ascent of Mount Arbel. According to the Israel Central Bureau...
.
Today
Salman Abu-SittaSalman Abu-Sitta
Salman H. Abu Sitta is a Palestinian researcher and writes about Palestinian refugees and the Palestinian right of return.-Biography:Abu-Sitta was born in Beersheba Salman H. Abu Sitta (Arabic سلمان ابو ستة)(born 1938) is a Palestinian researcher and writes about Palestinian refugees and the...
, author of the Atlas of Palestine, estimated that the number of Palestinian refugee
Palestinian refugee
Palestinian refugees or Palestine refugees are the people and their descendants, predominantly Palestinian Arabic-speakers, who fled or were expelled from their homes during and after the 1948 Palestine War, within that part of the British Mandate of Palestine, that after that war became the...
s from 'Akbara in 1998 was 1,852 people.
Of what remains of 'Akbara's built structures today, 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...
writes that, "The original inhabitants of the village were replaced by "internal" refugees from Qaddita
Qaddita
Qaddita was a Palestinian Arab village of 240, located northwest of Safad. It was captured and depopulated in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, with some of its inhabitants fleeing to nearby Akbara where they live as internally displaced Palestinians and others to refugee camps in Lebanon or...
villages several kilometers north of Safad. Since 1980, however, these refugees have been gradually relocated to the nearby, planned village of 'Akbara, 0.5 km west of the old village site. As a precondition of the relocation, each family was required to demolish its home in the former village. Today, fifteen of the old houses still stand on the site, in addition to the school. The new village of 'Akbara was placed under the administration of the city of Safad in 1977"
External links
- Welcome to Akbara
- 'Akbara, at Khalil Sakakini Cultural CenterKhalil Sakakini Cultural CenterKhalil Sakakini Cultural Center is an organization established in 1996. It is located at 4 Raja Street, Ramallah in the West Bank. The traditional manor that houses the centre was the former family home of Khalil Salem Salah, the mayor of Ramallah between 1947/1951, is now owned by the Palestinian...
- Akbara, Dr. Khalil Rizk.
- 3akbara, from Dr. Moslih Kanaaneh