Fir'im
Encyclopedia
Fir'im was a Palestinian
Arab
village in the District of Safad
that was depopulated during the 1948 Palestine war
. It was first attacked during the 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine
on May 2, 1948, by the Palmach
's First Battalion during Operation Yiftach
. In 1945 the population had been 740.
According to HaReuveni, Jews also lived in Fir'im in the 16th century, and the son of Rabbi Yom Tov Tzahalon
died there. However, a census by the Ottomans
in 1596 registered the villagers as all Muslim. According to that daftar, Fir’im belonged to the nahiya (subdistrict) of Jira, (liwa'
(district) of Safad) and had a recorded population of 446. The economy was based on agriculture and villagers paid taxes on wheat, barley, olives, goats, beehives, and a press that was used for processing either olives or grapes.
In the late nineteenth century, Fir'im was described as a stone-built village, situated at the end of a ridge. The villagers, who were Muslim
, numbered about 200 and cultivated olives and figs
.
Most of the stone houses in the village were densely situated in a northwest—southeast order. The village had a village council, and an elementary school for boys.
The village economy was based on agriculture; fruit was the main crop, followed by grain. The village also had two olive presses. In the 1942/43 season, 700 dunams (700,000 m²) of village land were allocated to olive trees. In 1944/45 the same amount was allocated to cereal farming, while 935 dunams (935,000 m²) were used for plantations or were irrigated.
organization Haganah
on the night of 2 May 1948. The attack, called Operation Yiftach
, was led by Yigal Allon
. In the operation, the villages of 'Ein al Zeitun and Biriyya
were conquered, while the villages of Fir'im, Qabba'a
and Mughr al-Khayt
were intimidated with mortar
barrages, which precipitated mass evacuation. However, the villagers soon began to return, only to find that Fir'im was torched by Palmach
forces on the 22nd May. During late May it was reported that hungry refugees once again began to drift back to their old villages, including Fir'im. Mainly the villagers tried to harvest their crops, and many erected temporary shelters outside their old villages from where they could reach their crops and were relatively inaccessible to Israeli troops. The Haganah
acted to curb this, and on the 24th May, they started the "systematic torching of the villages of the Hula [Valley].
By late June 1948, Israeli military intelligence reported (somewhat inaccurately, according to Morris
), that "All the Arab villages in the Safad area as far [northwestward] as Sasa
were empty".
Today the settlement of Hatzor HaGlilit (Chatzor ha-Gelilit), established in 1953, is situated about 1 kilometer southeast of where the village stood. The tomb of Honi HaM'agel
is located in the vicinity.
The Palestinian Historian Walid Khalidi
described the village site in 1992: "The rubble of destroyed village houses is scattered across the site. Some terraces with olive trees remain. Olive trees and cactuses grow on the site and the surrounding lands. Some small portions of these lands are wooded but most are used for pasture."
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 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:...
that was depopulated during the 1948 Palestine war
1948 Palestine war
The 1948 Palestine war refers to the events in the British Mandate of Palestine between the United Nations vote on the partition plan on November 30, 1947, to the end of the first Arab-Israeli war on July 20, 1949.The war is divided into two phases:...
. It was first attacked 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 May 2, 1948, by the Palmach
Palmach
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...
's First Battalion during 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...
. In 1945 the population had been 740.
Location
Fir'im was located 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) northeast of Safad. It was situated on the southeastern slope of Mount Kan’an, and overlooked land between Lake Tiberias and Lake Hula.History
An archaeological site near Fir’im contained the ruins of buildings and rock-hewn tombs. In the late 19th century, remains of ancient structures built into the modern buildings were observed.According to HaReuveni, Jews also lived in Fir'im in the 16th century, and the son of Rabbi Yom Tov Tzahalon
Yom Tov Tzahalon
Yom Tov ben Moshe Tzahalon, , also known as the Maharitatz, , was a student of Moses di Trani and Moshe Alshich, and published a collection of responsa....
died there. However, a census by the Ottomans
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 registered the villagers as all Muslim. According to that daftar, Fir’im belonged to the nahiya (subdistrict) of Jira, (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) and had a recorded population of 446. The economy was based on agriculture and villagers paid taxes on wheat, barley, olives, goats, beehives, and a press that was used for processing either olives or grapes.
In the late nineteenth century, Fir'im was described as a stone-built village, situated at the end of a ridge. The villagers, who were 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...
, numbered about 200 and cultivated olives and figs
FIGS
FIGS is an acronym for French, Italian, German, Spanish. These are usually the first four languages chosen to localize products into when a company enters the European market....
.
Most of the stone houses in the village were densely situated in a northwest—southeast order. The village had a village council, and an elementary school for boys.
The village economy was based on agriculture; fruit was the main crop, followed by grain. The village also had two olive presses. In the 1942/43 season, 700 dunams (700,000 m²) of village land were allocated to olive trees. In 1944/45 the same amount was allocated to cereal farming, while 935 dunams (935,000 m²) were used for plantations or were irrigated.
1948, and aftermath
The village was attacked by forces from the Jewish paramilitaryParamilitary
A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces....
organization 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 :...
on the night of 2 May 1948. The attack, called 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...
, was led by 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...
. In the operation, the villages of 'Ein al Zeitun and Biriyya
Biriyya
Biriyya was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Safad. It was depopulated during the 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine on May 2, 1948 by The Palmach's First Battalion of Operation Yiftach. It was located northeast of Safad...
were conquered, while the villages of Fir'im, Qabba'a
Qabba'a
Qabba'a was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Safad. It was depopulated during the 1948 War on May 26, 1948 by the Palmach's First Battalion of Operation Yiftach. It was located 6 km northeast of Safad....
and Mughr al-Khayt
Mughr al-Khayt
Mughr al-Khayt was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Safad. It was depopulated during the 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine on May 2, 1948 by the Palmach's First Battalion of Operation Yiftach. It was located 4.5 km northeast of Safad. In 1945 it had a population of...
were intimidated with mortar
Mortar (weapon)
A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....
barrages, which precipitated mass evacuation. However, the villagers soon began to return, only to find that Fir'im was torched by Palmach
Palmach
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...
forces on the 22nd May. During late May it was reported that hungry refugees once again began to drift back to their old villages, including Fir'im. Mainly the villagers tried to harvest their crops, and many erected temporary shelters outside their old villages from where they could reach their crops and were relatively inaccessible to Israeli troops. 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 :...
acted to curb this, and on the 24th May, they started the "systematic torching of the villages of the Hula [Valley].
By late June 1948, Israeli military intelligence reported (somewhat inaccurately, according to 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...
), that "All the Arab villages in the Safad area as far [northwestward] as Sasa
Sasa
Sasa may refer to: menina linda com pernas jeitosas ;)* Samoan Sasa* Saša, a given name* Sasa - a genus of bamboo* Sasa, Israel - a kibbutz in Galilee, Israel* Sa'sa' - a Palestinian village, depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war....
were empty".
Today the settlement of Hatzor HaGlilit (Chatzor ha-Gelilit), established in 1953, is situated about 1 kilometer southeast of where the village stood. The tomb of Honi HaM'agel
Honi HaM'agel
Honi Ha-Ma'agel , was a Jewish scholar prior to the age of the tannaim, the scholars from whose teachings the Mishnah was derived....
is located in the vicinity.
The Palestinian Historian 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...
described the village site in 1992: "The rubble of destroyed village houses is scattered across the site. Some terraces with olive trees remain. Olive trees and cactuses grow on the site and the surrounding lands. Some small portions of these lands are wooded but most are used for pasture."
External links
- Welcome To Fir'im
- Fir'im, 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...
- Fir’im, Dr. Khalil Rizk.