Jabbul
Encyclopedia
Jabbul is a depopulated former Palestinian
Arab
village located
7 km north of Baysan. During Operation Gideon
, the village was occupied by the Golani Brigade
.
highway, and other roads connected it to the surrounding villages.
times as Gebul or, more likely, as Gebula. The Crusader
s also referred to it as Gebul, which may have been derived from the Hebrew word for "boundary".
In 1596, Jabbul was a farm that paid taxes to the government.
In the late nineteenth century, the village was described as being situated on low ground and was built of stone and mud.
At the time of the 1931 census
, Jabbul had 50 occupied houses and a population of 218 Muslims.
The village had a circular plan, with houses radiating out from the village center. The houses were surrounded by farmlands. The entire population was Muslim
, and the village had a small mosque
with a domed shrine which stood at the south of the houses. The village also had a number of shops, however, it mostly relied on Baysan and the village of Kawkab al-Hawa
for education, medical care, trade and other services. A spring to the east of the village supplied them with water. In 1944/45 a total of 4,367 dunum
s was allocated to cereal
s, 5 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards. The elevated lands around the village were used for grazing.
troops, commanded by Yitzhak Shusterman raided the village along with others in the area. The troops arrived by bus and took up position on a high point on the outskirts of the village and lobbed a few two-inch mortar rounds into its centre and then moved in and searched it. The troops encountered harvesters who ran off and "[...] opened fire but hit no [one]". Arabs also fled from the village itself and the platoon "burned their crops and set alight several houses".
In September 1948, Nahum Wurwitz of Kfar Gil'adi appealed in a letter for permission to destroy Jabbul, Kawkab al-Hawa
, al-Bira
and al-Hamidiyya
in the area for fear that they may be used by Arabs for military operations and to enable them to "take the village's lands, because the Arabs won't be able to return there".
Walid Khalidi
described the remaining structures of the village in 1992:
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 located
7 km north of Baysan. During Operation Gideon
Operation Gideon
Operation Gideon was a Haganah offensive launched in the closing days of the British Mandate in Palestine, as part of the 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine. Its objectives were to capture Beisan , clear the surrounding villages and bedouin camps and block one of the possible entry routes...
, the village was occupied by the Golani Brigade
Golani Brigade
The Golani Brigade is an Israeli infantry brigade that is subordinated to the 36th Division and traditionally associated with the Northern Command. Its symbol is a green tree on a yellow background, and its soldiers wear a brown beret. It is one of the most highly decorated infantry units in the...
.
Location
Jabbul stood an a hill on the edge of the Baysan Valley, overlooking Wadi Yubla to the southwest. Wadi al-Ashsha ran through its land in the south. A secondary road linked it to the Baysan - JerichoJericho
Jericho ; is a city located near the Jordan River in the West Bank of the Palestinian territories. It is the capital of the Jericho Governorate and has a population of more than 20,000. Situated well below sea level on an east-west route north of the Dead Sea, Jericho is the lowest permanently...
highway, and other roads connected it to the surrounding villages.
History
The site was probably known in RomanAncient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
times as Gebul or, more likely, as Gebula. The Crusader
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
s also referred to it as Gebul, which may have been derived from the Hebrew word for "boundary".
In 1596, Jabbul was a farm that paid taxes to the government.
In the late nineteenth century, the village was described as being situated on low ground and was built of stone and mud.
At the time of the 1931 census
1931 census of Palestine
The 1931 census of Palestine was the second census carried out by the authorities of the British Mandate of Palestine. It was carried out on 18 November 1931 under the direction of Major E. Mills. The first census had been conducted in 1922...
, Jabbul had 50 occupied houses and a population of 218 Muslims.
The village had a circular plan, with houses radiating out from the village center. The houses were surrounded by farmlands. The entire population was 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...
, and the village had a small mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
with a domed shrine which stood at the south of the houses. The village also had a number of shops, however, it mostly relied on Baysan and the village of Kawkab al-Hawa
Kawkab al-Hawa
Kawkab al-Hawa is a depopulated former Palestinian village located11 km north of Baysan. Kawkab al-Hawa contained the Crusader fortress of Belvoir. The Crusader names for the Frankish settlement at Kuwaykat were Beauvoir, Belvoir, Bellum videre, Coquet, Cuschet and Coket...
for education, medical care, trade and other services. A spring to the east of the village supplied them with water. In 1944/45 a total of 4,367 dunum
Dunum
Dunum is a municipality in the district of Wittmund, in Lower Saxony, Germany....
s was allocated to cereal
Cereal
Cereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...
s, 5 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards. The elevated lands around the village were used for grazing.
1948, and after
On 7 June 1948, a platoon of BarakBarak Armored Brigade
The 188th "Barak" Armored Brigade is an Israeli armored brigade, subordinate to Israel's Northern Regional Command. The symbol of the Barak Armor Brigade is a shield with a red border bearing a sword against a blue and white background featuring the Haifa coastline background and a sword on it...
troops, commanded by Yitzhak Shusterman raided the village along with others in the area. The troops arrived by bus and took up position on a high point on the outskirts of the village and lobbed a few two-inch mortar rounds into its centre and then moved in and searched it. The troops encountered harvesters who ran off and "[...] opened fire but hit no [one]". Arabs also fled from the village itself and the platoon "burned their crops and set alight several houses".
In September 1948, Nahum Wurwitz of Kfar Gil'adi appealed in a letter for permission to destroy Jabbul, Kawkab al-Hawa
Kawkab al-Hawa
Kawkab al-Hawa is a depopulated former Palestinian village located11 km north of Baysan. Kawkab al-Hawa contained the Crusader fortress of Belvoir. The Crusader names for the Frankish settlement at Kuwaykat were Beauvoir, Belvoir, Bellum videre, Coquet, Cuschet and Coket...
, al-Bira
Al-Bira, Baysan
Al-Bira is a depopulated former Palestinian village located7.5 km north of Baysan. During Operation Gideon, the village was occupied by the Golani Brigade.-History:...
and al-Hamidiyya
Al-Hamidiyya
Al-Hamidiyya was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Baysan. It was depopulated by the Israel Defence Force during the 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine on May 12, 1948. It was located five kilometres north of Baysan. It was attacked as part of Operation Gideon...
in the area for fear that they may be used by Arabs for military operations and to enable them to "take the village's lands, because the Arabs won't be able to return there".
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 remaining structures of the village in 1992:
"The houses have been reduced to rubble and are overgrown with trees, thorns, and wild grass. The land around the site is cultivated."
External links
- Welcome To Jabbul
- Jabbul, 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...