Arab al-Zubayd
Encyclopedia
Arab al-Zubayd was a Palestinian
village in the District of Safad
. It was depopulated during the 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine
on April 20, 1948, when the villagers fled on hearing the intentions of The Palmach's First Battalion of Operation Yiftach
. It was located 15 km northeast of Safad, situated close to al-Barid River in the foothills of the Upper Galilee Mountains, which slope towards the al-Hula Plain. It was located just west of the al-Mutilla-Safad—Tiberias highway.
The population in 1931 was 432. In 1945 it had a population of 160. The population relied on many springs for drinking water, to the north and to the northeast linked to the al-Band River. The economy was based on grain cultivation and in 1944/45 a total of 1,761 dunums was allocated to cereal farming.
has found evidence that its population feared the possibility of a Jewish attack and fled on 20 April at the very beginning of the operation, before the actual occupation of any villages in the area. Nevertheless, in August 1948, Golani Brigade units were preparing to blow up the village after a complaint from the nearby Kibbutz Sha’ar ha-’Amaqim who objected to their forces. Prime Minister Ben Gurion
denied responsibility, saying: “ No permission was given by me or to any commander to destroy houses.” The village was still destroyed and today all that remains of ‘Arab al-Zubayed is rubble, buried under a thicket of woods, grass, and thorny plants.
Israeli farmers today cultivate part of the land for agriculture.
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 in the District of Safad
District of Safad
The District of Safad was an administrative district, situated in the British Mandate of Palestine around the city of Safad. After the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the district disintegrated.-Depopulated settlements:...
. It was depopulated during the 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine
1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine
The 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine lasted from 30 November 1947, the date of the United Nations vote in favour of the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the UN Partition Plan, to the termination of the British Mandate itself on 14 May 1948.This period constitutes the...
on April 20, 1948, when the villagers fled on hearing the intentions of The Palmach's First Battalion of Operation Yiftach
Operation Yiftach
Operation Yiftach was an offensive of the Israeli Haganah between 28 April and 29 May 1948 aimed at capturing the eastern Galilee. The central objectives were the capture of Safed and the securing of the Lebanese and Syrian borders before the British Mandate ended on 14 May 1948...
. It was located 15 km northeast of Safad, situated close to al-Barid River in the foothills of the Upper Galilee Mountains, which slope towards the al-Hula Plain. It was located just west of the al-Mutilla-Safad—Tiberias highway.
The population in 1931 was 432. In 1945 it had a population of 160. The population relied on many springs for drinking water, to the north and to the northeast linked to the al-Band River. The economy was based on grain cultivation and in 1944/45 a total of 1,761 dunums was allocated to cereal farming.
1948 war and depopulation
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...
has found evidence that its population feared the possibility of a Jewish attack and fled on 20 April at the very beginning of the operation, before the actual occupation of any villages in the area. Nevertheless, in August 1948, Golani Brigade units were preparing to blow up the village after a complaint from the nearby Kibbutz Sha’ar ha-’Amaqim who objected to their forces. Prime Minister Ben Gurion
Ben Gurion
Ben Gurion can refer to the following persons:* Nicodemus ben Gurion, a Biblical figure, probably a rich Jewish member of the Sanhedrin that felt sympathetic to Jesus Christ...
denied responsibility, saying: “ No permission was given by me or to any commander to destroy houses.” The village was still destroyed and today all that remains of ‘Arab al-Zubayed is rubble, buried under a thicket of woods, grass, and thorny plants.
Israeli farmers today cultivate part of the land for agriculture.
External links
- Welcome To 'Arab al-Zubayd
- 'Arab al-Zubayd 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...
- ‘Arab al-Zubayd, Dr. Khalil Rizk.