Al-Khalisa
Encyclopedia
Al-Khalisa was a Palestinian
Arab
village situated on a low hill on the northwestern edge of the Hula Valley of over 1,800 located 28 kilometres (17.4 mi) north of Safad.
from the 'Arab al-Ghawarina clan, who constituted the bulk the village's population. Under the Ottoman Empire
, in 1596, it had a population of 160 and was under the administration of the nahiya ("subdistrict") of Jira, part of Sanjak Safad. It paid taxes on wheat, barley, orchards, beehives, water buffalo, and a water-powered mill. In the late nineteenth century, Europe
ans described al-Khalisa as a village built of stone, surrounded by streams, with a population of 50.
The houses of the village were built of bricks and basalt stones cut from the hillside. In 1945, its population was 1,840, of which 20 were Christians. Al-Khalisa had a boys' elementary school which also admitted students from neighboring villages. The residents drew their drinking water from several springs. It was one of five villages in the Galilee
to be governed by a village council that administered in local affairs.
The leader of 'Arab al-Ghawarina clan was Sheikh Kamal Hussein, resident of Al-Khalisa, and, according to Meron Benvenisti
, he led the raid on Tel Hai in 1920. However, in the years preceding 1948, Sheikh Kamal established close relationships with the Jewish settlers, but, according to Benvenisti, the veterans of Kfar Giladi
did not forget or forgive, and cultivated Sheikh Kamal's enemy Emir Faour
.
, on May 11, 1948, al-Khalisa attempted an "agreement" with the Haganah
to save the village from attack, but the Haganah rejected it. Israel
i historian Benny Morris
reports after this, the villagers felt threatened and fled, while eyewitness accounts state the cause was Safad's fall to Israel on that same day. After its abandonment, Israeli forces moved into al-Khalisa as part of their general offensive in the eastern Galilee. The village's residents stated that after they fled, only the local militia remained, but withdrew after shelling from the Jewish town of Manara
and after seeing an armored unit approaching al-Khalisa. Former villagers, interviewed in Tel al-Zaatar
camp in Lebanon
in 1973, recounted that when they returned to the village;
According to Walid Khalidi
, 1992, "stone rubble from the houses markes the site. The school and the Mandate government´s office guildings stand abandoned, as does the village mosque and minaret. The level land surrounding the site is cultivated by settlement of Qirat Shemona, while the mountainous areas are either used as pastures or are wooded."
According to Meron Benvenisti
, 2000, "the mosque of al-Khalsa, one of the few structures that remain of that Galilee Arab village, is situated in a municipal park in the older section of the Jewish town of Kiryat Shemona. It serves as the local museum dedicated to the memory of townspeople who have fallen in Israel's various wars."
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...
Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
village situated on a low hill on the northwestern edge of the Hula Valley of over 1,800 located 28 kilometres (17.4 mi) north of Safad.
History
Al-Khalisa was founded by the BedouinBedouin
The Bedouin are a part of a predominantly desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group traditionally divided into tribes or clans, known in Arabic as ..-Etymology:...
from the 'Arab al-Ghawarina clan, who constituted the bulk the village's population. Under the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman 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...
, in 1596, it had a population of 160 and was under the administration of the nahiya ("subdistrict") of Jira, part of Sanjak Safad. It paid taxes on wheat, barley, orchards, beehives, water buffalo, and a water-powered mill. In the late nineteenth century, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
ans described al-Khalisa as a village built of stone, surrounded by streams, with a population of 50.
The houses of the village were built of bricks and basalt stones cut from the hillside. In 1945, its population was 1,840, of which 20 were Christians. Al-Khalisa had a boys' elementary school which also admitted students from neighboring villages. The residents drew their drinking water from several springs. It was one of five villages in the Galilee
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...
to be governed by a village council that administered in local affairs.
The leader of 'Arab al-Ghawarina clan was Sheikh Kamal Hussein, resident of Al-Khalisa, and, according to Meron Benvenisti
Meron Benvenisti
Meron Benvenisti is an Israeli political scientist who was Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem under Teddy Kollek from 1971 to 1978, during which he administered East Jerusalem and served as Jerusalem's Chief Planning Officer. He is a medieval scholar and published books and maps on the Crusader period in...
, he led the raid on Tel Hai in 1920. However, in the years preceding 1948, Sheikh Kamal established close relationships with the Jewish settlers, but, according to Benvenisti, the veterans of Kfar Giladi
Kfar Giladi
-External links:* * Jewish Agency for Israel*...
did not forget or forgive, and cultivated Sheikh Kamal's enemy Emir Faour
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...
.
1948, and after
During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War1948 Arab-Israeli War
The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...
, on May 11, 1948, al-Khalisa attempted an "agreement" with the Haganah
Haganah
Haganah was a Jewish paramilitary organization in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine from 1920 to 1948, which later became the core of the Israel Defense Forces.- Origins :...
to save the village from attack, but the Haganah rejected it. Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i historian Benny Morris
Benny 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...
reports after this, the villagers felt threatened and fled, while eyewitness accounts state the cause was Safad's fall to Israel on that same day. After its abandonment, Israeli forces moved into al-Khalisa as part of their general offensive in the eastern Galilee. The village's residents stated that after they fled, only the local militia remained, but withdrew after shelling from the Jewish town of Manara
Manara
Manara may refer to:People with the surname Manara:* Alessandro Manara, Italian astronomer* Luciano Manara, Italian soldier* Milo Manara , Italian comic book creatorPlaces:...
and after seeing an armored unit approaching al-Khalisa. Former villagers, interviewed in Tel al-Zaatar
Tel al-Zaatar Massacre
The Tel al-Zaatar massacre took place during the Lebanese Civil War on August 12, 1976. Tel al-Zaatar was a UNRWA administered Palestinian Refugee camp housing approximately 50,000-60,000 refugees in northeast Beirut.-Background:...
camp in Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
in 1973, recounted that when they returned to the village;
"we found that the Jews had burned and destroyed the houses belonging to Ali Zakayan, Abu Ali Muhammad Hamadih, Mustafa al-Haj Yusif, Issa Muhammad, Ali Salih Ahmad, Muhammad Arab al-Haj Mahmud, Salih Ismail, Sari al-Khadir, Dawud Hussein, Abdul-Raziq Hamid, Qassim Muhammead al-Salih and Ali Hussein Mahmud....The village was in ruins."
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...
, 1992, "stone rubble from the houses markes the site. The school and the Mandate government´s office guildings stand abandoned, as does the village mosque and minaret. The level land surrounding the site is cultivated by settlement of Qirat Shemona, while the mountainous areas are either used as pastures or are wooded."
According to Meron Benvenisti
Meron Benvenisti
Meron Benvenisti is an Israeli political scientist who was Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem under Teddy Kollek from 1971 to 1978, during which he administered East Jerusalem and served as Jerusalem's Chief Planning Officer. He is a medieval scholar and published books and maps on the Crusader period in...
, 2000, "the mosque of al-Khalsa, one of the few structures that remain of that Galilee Arab village, is situated in a municipal park in the older section of the Jewish town of Kiryat Shemona. It serves as the local museum dedicated to the memory of townspeople who have fallen in Israel's various wars."
External links
- Welcome to al-Khalisa
- al-Khalisa, 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-Khalisa Dr. Khalil Rizk.