Qumya
Encyclopedia
Qumya was a Palestinian
village of 510 inhabitants when it was depopulated prior to the 1948 Arab-Israeli war
.
Located 12.5 kilometers north of Baysan, the village was assaulted by the forces of the Golani Brigade
on 26 March 1948 during Operation Gideon
, on the orders of Yosef Weitz
, a representative of the Jewish National Fund
(JNF). Its inhabitants fled in fear of being caught in the fighting.
artifacts, including milestones and a large pool cut in the rock, have been found.
By 1596, under the rule of the Ottoman Empire
, Qumya was a farm under the administrative jurisdiction of Sanjak Lajjun.
In the late nineteenth century, the village of Qumya was described as located on a knoll in the middle of a valley, surrounded by gardens of prickly pear
.
At the time of the 1931 census
, Qumya had 88 occupied houses and a population of 386 Muslims.
The village had one elementary school for boys. In 1944/45 a total of 4,205 dunum
s were used for cereals and 33 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards.
Meron Benvenisti
noted that the JNF guided military operations to evacuate and expropriate the land of Palestinian villages in 1948, including that of Qumya. In writing of the capture and evacuation of Qumya and Endur (the biblical Endor
), he wrote that, "The Jews were particularly interested in the village of Qumya, which was entirely surrounded by JNF land..."
The Jewish settlements of Ein Harod
and Geva
were built of the village lands.
Kibbutz
Bet ha-Shittah and the Gush Nuris settlements were given thousands of dunams of refugee land from Qumya and the neighbouring villages of al-Murassas
, Kafra
, Yubla
, and Zir'in
by the Histadrut
's Agicrultural Center in July and October 1948.
Walid Khalidi
described the remaining village structures, noting:
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 of 510 inhabitants when it was depopulated prior to the 1948 Arab-Israeli 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...
.
Located 12.5 kilometers north of Baysan, the village was assaulted by the forces of 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...
on 26 March 1948 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...
, on the orders of Yosef Weitz
Yosef Weitz
Yosef Weitz was the director of the Land and Afforestation Department of the Jewish National Fund. From the 1930s, Weitz played a major role in acquiring land for the Yishuv, the pre-state Jewish community in Palestine.-Biography:...
, a representative of the Jewish National Fund
Jewish National Fund
The Jewish National Fund was founded in 1901 to buy and develop land in Ottoman Palestine for Jewish settlement. The JNF is a quasi-governmental, non-profit organisation...
(JNF). Its inhabitants fled in fear of being caught in the fighting.
Location
The village was located 12.5 kilometers northwest of Baysan, on a hilltop. Together with the village of Shatta, it was considered the western gate to the plain of Baysan.History
Qumya was well known for its archaeological sites, including Khirbat Qumya which contained rectangular structures, caves, and rock-hewn cisterns. About 800 meters south of the village was ´Ayn ´Jalud, an archaeological site where 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....
artifacts, including milestones and a large pool cut in the rock, have been found.
By 1596, under the rule of 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...
, Qumya was a farm under the administrative jurisdiction of Sanjak Lajjun.
In the late nineteenth century, the village of Qumya was described as located on a knoll in the middle of a valley, surrounded by gardens of prickly pear
Opuntia
Opuntia, also known as nopales or paddle cactus , is a genus in the cactus family, Cactaceae.Currently, only prickly pears are included in this genus of about 200 species distributed throughout most of the Americas. Chollas are now separated into the genus Cylindropuntia, which some still consider...
.
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...
, Qumya had 88 occupied houses and a population of 386 Muslims.
The village had one elementary school for boys. In 1944/45 a total of 4,205 dunum
Dunum
Dunum is a municipality in the district of Wittmund, in Lower Saxony, Germany....
s were used for cereals and 33 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards.
1948, and after
In his diary, Weitz wrote of the inhabitants of Qumya and al-Tira in the Bisan valley thus:"Not taking upon themselves the responsibility of preventing the infiltration of irregulars ... They must be forced to leave their villages until peace comes.
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...
noted that the JNF guided military operations to evacuate and expropriate the land of Palestinian villages in 1948, including that of Qumya. In writing of the capture and evacuation of Qumya and Endur (the biblical Endor
Endor (village)
Endor was a Canaanite city which is listed in the Book of Joshua as one of the cities with its dependencies that the Israelites failed to dispossess. It is located between the Hill of Moreh and Mount Tabor in the Jezreel Valley....
), he wrote that, "The Jews were particularly interested in the village of Qumya, which was entirely surrounded by JNF land..."
The Jewish settlements of Ein Harod
Ein Harod
Ein Harod was a kibbutz in Israel. It was located in northern Israel near Mount Gilboa. It is notable for being built near the battlefield of Ayn Jalut , a battle of huge macro-historical importance where the Mongols were defeated for the first time, in 1260.-History:The kibbutz was founded by...
and Geva
Geva
-External links:*...
were built of the village lands.
Kibbutz
Kibbutz
A kibbutz is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism...
Bet ha-Shittah and the Gush Nuris settlements were given thousands of dunams of refugee land from Qumya and the neighbouring villages of al-Murassas
Al-Murassas
Al-Murassas was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Baysan. It was depopulated by the Israel Defence Force during the 1948 War on May 16, 1948...
, Kafra
Kafra
Kafra was a Palestinian Arab village located 10.5 kilometres north of Baysan. Built along both sides of the Wadi Kafra, the village had been known by this name since at least the time of the Crusades. The population of the village in 1922 was 273, rising to an estimated 499 in 1948...
, Yubla
Yubla
Yubla was a Palestinian village, located 9 kilometers north of Bisan in present-day Israel. It was depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.-Location:...
, and Zir'in
Zir'in
Zir'in was a Palestinian Arab village of over 1,400 in the Jezreel Valley, located north of Jenin. Identified as the Canaanite town of Yizre'el, it was known as Zir'in during Islamic rule, and was near the site of the Battle of Ain Jalut, in which the Mamluks halted Mongol expansion southward...
by the Histadrut
Histadrut
HaHistadrut HaKlalit shel HaOvdim B'Eretz Yisrael , known as the Histadrut, is Israel's organization of trade unions. Established in December 1920 during the British Mandate for Palestine, it became one of the most powerful institutions of the State of Israel.-History:The Histadrut was founded in...
's Agicrultural Center in July and October 1948.
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 village structures, noting:
"The whole site is fenced in. Almond, mulberry, and pomegranate trees and cactuses grow around the rubble that dots the village site. Cypress trees grow among the ruins of the village school."
External links
- Welcome to Qumya
- Qumya, 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...