Al-Ja'una
Encyclopedia
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 Tabariya. The current location is occupied by an Israeli town Rosh Pinna
(Hebrew:ראש פינה) which was expanded to include the depopulated Palestinian Al-Ja'una.
census as being a village in the nahiya (subdistrict) of Jira, under the liwa'
(district) of Safad, with a population of 171. Villagers paid taxes on wheat
, barley
, olive
s, goat
s, beehive
s, and a powered mill.
In the late 19th century, the village was described as being built of stone, on the slope of a hill, whose 140-200 residents cultivated fig
and olive
trees. There were two springs in a wadi
, south of the village. A mosque and an elementary school for boys was established in the village in Ottoman times.
The settlement of Ro’sh Pinna is located to the southeast of the village site. It was first established in 1878 on land purchased from the villagers of al-Ja’una but has expanded over the years to now include part of the former village land of Al-Ja'una.
Laurence Oliphant visited Rosh Pinna and Al-Ja'una in 1886, and wrote; "Jauna, which was the name of the village to which I was bound, was situated about three miles (5 km) from Safed, in a gorge, from which, as we descended it, a magnificent view was obtained over the Jordan valley, with the Lake of Tiberias
lying three thousand feet below us on the right, and the waters of Merom, or the Lake of Huleh, on the left. The intervening plain was a rich expanse of country, only waiting development. The new colony had been established about eight months, the land having been purchased from the Moslem villagers, of whom twenty families remained, who lived on terms of perfect amity with the Jews."
The inhabitants of the village who were entirely Arab, were employed in agriculture or construction. The population remained in the range of 140-200 throughout the 19th century. In 1931 the population totaled 799, and by 1945 totaled 1,150. Al-Ja'una was situated on a 839 dunam area, 824 of which owned by Arab families, 7 by Jewish families, and 8 public; 172 dunams of the village fields were irrigated (1944–45). Main crops cultivated by the village were olives, grapes, figs, and grain.
, the evacuation of the residents of al-Ja’una occurred some time before 2 May 1948, although he has somewhat contradicted this by also documenting that the actual depopulation took place one week later, on 9 May, coinciding with the final attack on Safad.
At midnight on 5/6 June 1949, the remaining villagers in Al-Ja'una (together with those of
Al-Khisas
and Qaytiyya
) were surrounded by Israeli Defence Force units, who then forced the villagers into trucks “with brutality . . - with kicks, curses and maltreatment…“ (in the words of Knesset
member and Al HaMishmar editor Eli’ezer Pra’i) and dumped them on a bare hillside near the village of ‘Akbara. When questioned about the expulsions, Ben-Gurion responded that he found the military reasons for the evictions "sufficient". ‘Akbara served as a "dumping spot" for the "remainders" from various depopulated Palestinian villages, and its conditions were to remain bad for years.
Walid Khalidi
, writing in 1992 about the remains of Al-Ja'una, stated: "The settlement of Ro’sh Pinna occupies the village site. Many of the houses remain; some are used by the residents of the settlement; other stone houses have been abandoned and destroyed."
Galilee
Galilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country. Traditionally divided into Upper Galilee , Lower Galilee , and Western Galilee , extending from Dan to the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, along Mount Lebanon to the...
on the slopes of Mount Canaan near al-Houleh Plateau, overlooking the Jordan Valley
Jordan Valley (Middle East)
The Jordan Valley forms part of the larger Jordan Rift Valley. It is 120 kilometers long and 15 kilometers wide, where it runs from Lake Tiberias in the north to northern Dead Sea in the south. It runs for an additional 155 kilometer south of the Dead Sea to Aqaba, an area also known as Wadi...
. 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 Tabariya. The current location is occupied by an Israeli town Rosh Pinna
Rosh Pinna
Rosh Pinna is a town of approximately 2,500 people located in the Upper Galilee on the eastern slopes of Mount Kna'anin, the Northern District of Israel. The town was founded in 1882 by thirty immigrant families from Romania, making it one of the oldest Zionist settlements in Israel...
(Hebrew:ראש פינה) which was expanded to include the depopulated Palestinian Al-Ja'una.
History
Al-Ja'una was mentioned in the 1596 OttomanOttoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
census as being a village in the nahiya (subdistrict) of Jira, under the liwa'
Liwa (arabic)
Liwa or Liwa is an Arabic term meaning district, banner, or flag, a type of administrative division. It was interchangeable with the Turkish term "Sanjak" in the time of the Ottoman Empire. After the fall of the empire, the term was used in the Arab countries formerly under Ottoman rule...
(district) of Safad, with a population of 171. Villagers paid taxes on wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
, barley
Barley
Barley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods...
, 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...
s, goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
s, beehive
Beehive
A beehive is a structure in which bees live and raise their young.Beehive may also refer to:Buildings and locations:* Bee Hive, Alabama, a neighborhood in Alabama* Beehive , a wing of the New Zealand Parliament Buildings...
s, and a powered mill.
In the late 19th century, the village was described as being built of stone, on the slope of a hill, whose 140-200 residents cultivated 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...
and 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...
trees. There were two springs in a wadi
Wadi
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:...
, south of the village. A mosque and an elementary school for boys was established in the village in Ottoman times.
The settlement of Ro’sh Pinna is located to the southeast of the village site. It was first established in 1878 on land purchased from the villagers of al-Ja’una but has expanded over the years to now include part of the former village land of Al-Ja'una.
Sea of Galilee
The Sea of Galilee, also Kinneret, Lake of Gennesaret, or Lake Tiberias , is the largest freshwater lake in Israel, and it is approximately in circumference, about long, and wide. The lake has a total area of , and a maximum depth of approximately 43 m...
lying three thousand feet below us on the right, and the waters of Merom, or the Lake of Huleh, on the left. The intervening plain was a rich expanse of country, only waiting development. The new colony had been established about eight months, the land having been purchased from the Moslem villagers, of whom twenty families remained, who lived on terms of perfect amity with the Jews."
The inhabitants of the village who were entirely Arab, were employed in agriculture or construction. The population remained in the range of 140-200 throughout the 19th century. In 1931 the population totaled 799, and by 1945 totaled 1,150. Al-Ja'una was situated on a 839 dunam area, 824 of which owned by Arab families, 7 by Jewish families, and 8 public; 172 dunams of the village fields were irrigated (1944–45). Main crops cultivated by the village were olives, grapes, figs, and grain.
1948 Arab-Israeli war, depopulation, and aftermath
The village was depopulated during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. According to Israeli historian Benny MorrisBenny Morris
Benny Morris is professor of History in the Middle East Studies department of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in the city of Be'er Sheva, Israel...
, the evacuation of the residents of al-Ja’una occurred some time before 2 May 1948, although he has somewhat contradicted this by also documenting that the actual depopulation took place one week later, on 9 May, coinciding with the final attack on Safad.
At midnight on 5/6 June 1949, the remaining villagers in Al-Ja'una (together with those 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...
and Qaytiyya
Qaytiyya
Qaytiyya was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Safad. It was depopulated during the 1948 War on May 19, 1948 by the Palmach's First Battalion of Operation Yiftach. It was located 28 km northeast of Safad, bordering both the Hasibani and the Dan Rivers.In 1945, the village had a...
) were surrounded by Israeli Defence Force units, who then forced the villagers into trucks “with brutality . . - with kicks, curses and maltreatment…“ (in the words of Knesset
Knesset
The Knesset is the unicameral legislature of Israel, located in Givat Ram, Jerusalem.-Role in Israeli Government :The legislative branch of the Israeli government, the Knesset passes all laws, elects the President and Prime Minister , approves the cabinet, and supervises the work of the government...
member and Al HaMishmar editor Eli’ezer Pra’i) and dumped them on a bare hillside near the village of ‘Akbara. When questioned about the expulsions, Ben-Gurion responded that he found the military reasons for the evictions "sufficient". ‘Akbara served as a "dumping spot" for the "remainders" from various depopulated Palestinian villages, and its conditions were to remain bad for years.
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...
, writing in 1992 about the remains of Al-Ja'una, stated: "The settlement of Ro’sh Pinna occupies the village site. Many of the houses remain; some are used by the residents of the settlement; other stone houses have been abandoned and destroyed."
See also
- 1948 Palestinian exodus1948 Palestinian exodusThe 1948 Palestinian exodus , also known as the Nakba , occurred when approximately 711,000 to 725,000 Palestinian Arabs left, fled or were expelled from their homes, during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and the Civil War that preceded it. The exact number of refugees is a matter of dispute...
- List of villages depopulated during the Arab–Israeli conflict
- Abdallah Al-AsbahAbdallah al-AsbahAbdallah Salem is a prominent Palestinian rebel born in the village of Al-Ja'una near Safad in 1910. He participated in the Great Syrian Revolt against French colonial forces in Syria in 1925, in Al-Qassam Revolt in Palestine in 1935, and the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine...
External links
- Welcome To al-Ja'una, Palestine Remembered
- al-Ja'una, from the 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...
- Al-Ja`una, Dr. Khalil Rizk.
- Al-Ja3ooneh, from Dr. Moslih Kanaaneh
- UN map of the 1947 plan
- The Destroyed Palestinian Villages on Google Earth
- Tracing all That Remains of al-Ja'una-جاعونة المدمرة-فلسطين, video, youtube
