Battir
Encyclopedia
Battir is an ancient town located in the West Bank
, 5km west of Bethlehem
, and south west of Jerusalem. It has a population of about 4,000 inhabitants. Battir sits just above the railway
from Tel Aviv
to Jerusalem, which also served as the armistice line
between Israel
and Jordan
from 1948 to 1967. Today Battir is administered by the Palestinian National Authority
.
against Roman rule. Near the village are ruins known as Khirbet al-Yahudi
("Jews' ruins"). According to one tradition, the village is the site of the tomb of the
Tannaic sage Eleazar of Modi'im
.
In modern times, Battir's development was linked to its location alongside the railroad to Jerusalem
, which provided both access to the city's opportunities as well as direct income from passengers who would disembark when the locomotives stopped to take on water. http://ags.ou.edu/~bwallach/documents/A%20Window%20on%20the%20West%20Bank.pdf After the 1948 war
, the armistice line
fell along the railroad, and Battir ended up just meters to the east of Jordan's border with Israel. After the 1967 War
, Battir passed to Israeli control along with the rest of the West Bank
, though after the 1995 signing of the Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip
, it has been administered by the Palestinian Authority
. There is some concern that the construction of the Israeli West Bank barrier
might negatively impact the environment in the area, especially due to Battir's proximity to the Green Line
. http://www.arij.org/pub/EIABattir/index-1.htm
Battir is known to be the home of the father of famed Arab-American comedian Dean Obeidallah
and father of Palestinian-American journalist/author Ali Abunimah
.
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
, 5km west of Bethlehem
Bethlehem
Bethlehem is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank of the Jordan River, near Israel and approximately south of Jerusalem, with a population of about 30,000 people. It is the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate of the Palestinian National Authority and a hub of Palestinian culture and tourism...
, and south west of Jerusalem. It has a population of about 4,000 inhabitants. Battir sits just above the railway
Jaffa–Jerusalem railway
The Jaffa–Jerusalem railway is a railroad that connected Jaffa and Jerusalem. The line was built in Ottoman Palestine by the French company Société du Chemin de Fer Ottoman de Jaffa à Jérusalem et Prolongements and inaugurated in 1892, after previous attempts by the Jewish philanthropist Moses...
from Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
to Jerusalem, which also served as the armistice line
1949 Armistice Agreements
The 1949 Armistice Agreements are a set of agreements signed during 1949 between Israel and neighboring Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria. The agreements ended the official hostilities of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, and established armistice lines between Israeli forces and the forces in...
between Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
from 1948 to 1967. Today Battir is administered by the Palestinian National Authority
Palestinian National Authority
The Palestinian Authority is the administrative organization established to govern parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip...
.
Geography
Battir is located on a hill above Wadi el-Jundi, which runs southwest through the Judean hills to the coastal plain. At an altitude of around 720m, Battir's summers are temperate, and its winters mild with the occasional snowfall.Early history
Battir is considered a possible location of the 2nd century Bar Kokhba revoltBar Kokhba's revolt
The Bar Kokhba revolt 132–136 CE; or mered bar kokhba) against the Roman Empire, was the third major rebellion by the Jews of Judaea Province being the last of the Jewish-Roman Wars. Simon bar Kokhba, the commander of the revolt, was acclaimed as a Messiah, a heroic figure who could restore Israel...
against Roman rule. Near the village are ruins known as Khirbet al-Yahudi
Betar (fortress)
The Betar Fortress was the last standing Jewish fortress in the Bar Kochba revolt of the 2nd century CE, destroyed by the Roman army of Emperor Hadrian in the year 135...
("Jews' ruins"). According to one tradition, the village is the site of the tomb of the
Tannaic sage Eleazar of Modi'im
Eleazar of Modi'im
Eleazar of Modi'im was a Jewish scholar of the second tannaitic generation , disciple of Johanan ben Zakkai , and contemporary of Joshua ben Hananiah and Eliezer ben Hyrcanus . He was an expert haggadist, and frequently discussed exegetical topics with his distinguished contemporaries...
.
Modern times
Jaffa–Jerusalem railway
The Jaffa–Jerusalem railway is a railroad that connected Jaffa and Jerusalem. The line was built in Ottoman Palestine by the French company Société du Chemin de Fer Ottoman de Jaffa à Jérusalem et Prolongements and inaugurated in 1892, after previous attempts by the Jewish philanthropist Moses...
, which provided both access to the city's opportunities as well as direct income from passengers who would disembark when the locomotives stopped to take on water. http://ags.ou.edu/~bwallach/documents/A%20Window%20on%20the%20West%20Bank.pdf After the 1948 war
1948 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...
, the armistice line
Green Line (Israel)
Green Line refers to the demarcation lines set out in the 1949 Armistice Agreements between Israel and its neighbours after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War...
fell along the railroad, and Battir ended up just meters to the east of Jordan's border with Israel. After the 1967 War
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War , also known as the June War, 1967 Arab-Israeli War, or Third Arab-Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt , Jordan, and Syria...
, Battir passed to Israeli control along with the rest of the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
, though after the 1995 signing of the Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip
Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip
The Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, also known as the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement, the Interim Agreement, Oslo 2, Oslo II, and Taba, was a key and complex agreement governing several aspects of the Palestinian territories of Gaza Strip and the West Bank.-History:It...
, it has been administered by the Palestinian Authority
Palestinian National Authority
The Palestinian Authority is the administrative organization established to govern parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip...
. There is some concern that the construction of the Israeli West Bank barrier
Israeli West Bank barrier
The Israeli West Bank barrier is a separation barrier being constructed by the State of Israel along and within the West Bank. Upon completion, the barrier’s total length will be approximately...
might negatively impact the environment in the area, especially due to Battir's proximity to the Green Line
Green Line (Israel)
Green Line refers to the demarcation lines set out in the 1949 Armistice Agreements between Israel and its neighbours after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War...
. http://www.arij.org/pub/EIABattir/index-1.htm
Battir is known to be the home of the father of famed Arab-American comedian Dean Obeidallah
Dean Obeidallah
Dean Obeidallah is a Palestinian-American/Italian-American comedian, who was born in Lodi, New Jersey, and grew up in nearby Paramus. His father was born in Battir, Palestine- a small village near Bethlehem; his mother's parents were born in Sicily...
and father of Palestinian-American journalist/author Ali Abunimah
Ali Abunimah
Ali Hasan Abunimah is a Palestinian American journalist and co-founder of Electronic Intifada, a not-for-profit, independent online publication about the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. Born in Washington D.C., he spent his early years in the United Kingdom and Belgium before returning to the...
.
