Saliha
Encyclopedia
Salihais one of the Seven Lebanese Villages
that was later transferred to the British Mandate of Palestine. Originally part of the Jabal Amel district of South Lebanon, this term has been historically used to denote the homeland of Shi'a Muslims in Southern Lebanon. Located twelve kilometers north of Safad and after the transfer of the village, Saliha is currently one kilometer south of the border with Lebanon
on the edge of a deep wadi
(i.e. valley
) known as Wadi Saliha.
The Franco-British Boundary Agreement of 1920
placed Saliha within the French mandate of Lebanon
border, thus classifying it a part of Lebanese territory. It was one of the 24 villages transferred from the French mandate of Lebanon
to British control in 1924 in accordance with the 1923 demarcation of the border between the British Mandate for Palestine and the French Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon. It thus formed part of Palestine until 1948.
Under the 1948 United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine, Saliha was to be included in the proposed Arab
state, while the boundary between it and the proposed Jewish state
was to run north of the built-up area of the village.
During the 1948 Arab-Israeli war
, Saliha was the site of a massacre carried out by Israel
i forces shortly before the village was completely depopulated. The built structures in the village, with the exception of an elementary school for boys, were also destroyed.
floors, and oil presses. The nearby Khirbat al-Sanifa contained ancient relics, such as a circular pressing floor. A winepress was excavated in the area in 2001.
In the late nineteenth century, Saliha was a village of about 200 people who cultivated gardens in the surrounding area and built their homes out of basalt
stones mortared with mud. They took their drinking water from several cistern
s and a large pond.
Its population was predominantly Shi'a Muslim
, and it had an elementary school for boys. In 1944/45 a total of 7,401 dunum
s of its land was allocated to cereals, while 422 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards.
and Jish
) in which a massacre was committed by the Seventh Brigade of the Israel Defense Forces
of under the command of General Moshe Carmel
.
In the case of Saliha, the troops entered the village and blew up a structure, possibly a mosque, killing the 60 to 94 people who had taken refuge inside. These estimates, made by Benny Morris
, are based on documentary evidence that include a 6 November 1948 diary entry by Yosef Nahmani, which refers to "'60 - 70' men and women murdered after 'they had raised a white flag'". Also referenced by Morris are handwritten notes taken by Aharon Cohen
from the Mapam
Political Committee meeting on 1 November 1948 in which Galili, also known as Moshe Erem is recorded stating: "94 in Saliha blown up in a house".
After the assault was over, the remaining inhabitants of the village were expelled, forming part of the Palestinian exodus of 1948
.
Yoav Gelber
lists Saliha alongside Deir Yassin
, Abu Shusha
, Sufsuf
, and Lydda
as forming part of the "Palestinian pantheon of massacres ... villages where Palestinians claimed that atrocities had taken place".
, author of the Atlas of Palestine, estimated that the number of Palestinian refugee
s from Saliha in 1998 was 7,622 people.
Saliha's refugees escaped to Lebanon
, where they were granted Lebanese citizenship in 1994. They were granted citizenship because they were officially recognized as Lebanese citizens before the creation of the state of Israel.
Of what remains of Saliha's built structures today, Walid Khalidi
writes that, "The only remaining landmark is a long building (which may have been a school) with many high windows. The site is a flat, mostly cultivated area. The bulk of the surrounding land is planted by Israeli farmers with apple trees."
The Israeli Jewish localities of Yir'on and Avivim
are located on the former lands of Saliha.
Seven Lebanese Villages
The Seven Lebanese Villages refers to the seven Lebanese villages of Tarbikha, Saliha, Malkiyeh, Nabi Yusha, Qadas, Hunin, and Abil al-Qamh located in what is today Northern Israel...
that was later transferred to the British Mandate of Palestine. Originally part of the Jabal Amel district of South Lebanon, this term has been historically used to denote the homeland of Shi'a Muslims in Southern Lebanon. Located twelve kilometers north of Safad and after the transfer of the village, Saliha is currently one kilometer south of the border with Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
on the edge of a deep wadi
Wadi
Wadi is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley. In some cases, it may refer to a dry riverbed that contains water only during times of heavy rain or simply an intermittent stream.-Variant names:...
(i.e. valley
Valley
In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
) known as Wadi Saliha.
The Franco-British Boundary Agreement of 1920
Franco-British Boundary Agreement (1920)
The Franco-British Boundary Agreement of 1920, properly called the Franco-British Convention on Certain Points Connected with the Mandates for Syria and the Lebanon, Palestine and Mesopotamia, was an agreement signed between the British and French governments in Paris, on 23 December 1920...
placed Saliha within the French mandate of Lebanon
French Mandate of Lebanon
The state of Greater Lebanon, the predecessor of modern Lebanon, was created in 1920 as part of the French scheme of dividing the French Mandate of Syria into six states....
border, thus classifying it a part of Lebanese territory. It was one of the 24 villages transferred from the French mandate of Lebanon
French Mandate of Lebanon
The state of Greater Lebanon, the predecessor of modern Lebanon, was created in 1920 as part of the French scheme of dividing the French Mandate of Syria into six states....
to British control in 1924 in accordance with the 1923 demarcation of the border between the British Mandate for Palestine and the French Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon. It thus formed part of Palestine until 1948.
Under the 1948 United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine, Saliha was to be included in the proposed 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...
state, while the boundary between it and the proposed Jewish state
Jewish state
A homeland for the Jewish people was an idea that rose to the fore in the 19th century in the wake of growing anti-Semitism and Jewish assimilation. Jewish emancipation in Europe paved the way for two ideological solutions to the Jewish Question: cultural assimilation, as envisaged by Moses...
was to run north of the built-up area of the village.
During 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...
, Saliha was the site of a massacre carried out by Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i forces shortly before the village was completely depopulated. The built structures in the village, with the exception of an elementary school for boys, were also destroyed.
History
There were several old structures in the village, including rock-cut tombs, traces of mosaicMosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
floors, and oil presses. The nearby Khirbat al-Sanifa contained ancient relics, such as a circular pressing floor. A winepress was excavated in the area in 2001.
In the late nineteenth century, Saliha was a village of about 200 people who cultivated gardens in the surrounding area and built their homes out of basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
stones mortared with mud. They took their drinking water from several cistern
Cistern
A cistern is a waterproof receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. Cisterns are often built to catch and store rainwater. Cisterns are distinguished from wells by their waterproof linings...
s and a large pond.
Its population was predominantly Shi'a 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 it had an elementary school for boys. In 1944/45 a total of 7,401 dunum
Dunum
Dunum is a municipality in the district of Wittmund, in Lower Saxony, Germany....
s of its land was allocated to cereals, while 422 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards.
1948 War and aftermath
Between 30 October 1948 and 2 November 1948, Saliha was the first of three villages (the others being SafsafSafsaf
Safsaf was a Palestinian village located 9 kilometres northwest of Safed, present day Israel. Its villagers fled to Lebanon after the Safsaf massacre in October 1948, during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.-History:The village was called Safsofa in Roman times...
and Jish
Jish
Jish is an Arab town located on the northeastern slopes of Mt. Meron, north of Safed, in Israel's North District. The population is predominantly Maronite Christian and Greek Catholic with a Muslim minority....
) in which a massacre was committed by the Seventh Brigade of the Israel Defense Forces
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
of under the command of General Moshe Carmel
Moshe Carmel
Moshe Carmel was an Israeli soldier and politician who served as Minister of Transportation for eight years.-Background:Born in Mińsk Mazowiecki in the Russian Empire , Carmel emigrated to Mandate Palestine in 1924 when he was 13 years old. He was a founding member of kibbutz Na'an, and was...
.
In the case of Saliha, the troops entered the village and blew up a structure, possibly a mosque, killing the 60 to 94 people who had taken refuge inside. These estimates, made by Benny 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...
, are based on documentary evidence that include a 6 November 1948 diary entry by Yosef Nahmani, which refers to "'60 - 70' men and women murdered after 'they had raised a white flag'". Also referenced by Morris are handwritten notes taken by Aharon Cohen
Aharon Cohen
Aharon Cohen was a senior member of Mapam, a pro-USSR Israeli political party which existed during the first two decades of statehood.Born, 1910, in Britchany, Bessarabia in what was the Tsarist empire, now Romania. He came to Palestine in 1929 where he joined kibbutz Sha'ar Ha'amakin, near Haifa....
from the Mapam
Mapam
Mapam was a political party in Israel and is one of the ancestors of the modern-day Meretz party.-History:Mapam was formed by a January 1948 merger of the Hashomer Hatzair Workers Party and Ahdut HaAvoda Poale Zion Movement. The party was originally Marxist-Zionist in its outlook and represented...
Political Committee meeting on 1 November 1948 in which Galili, also known as Moshe Erem is recorded stating: "94 in Saliha blown up in a house".
After the assault was over, the remaining inhabitants of the village were expelled, forming part of the Palestinian exodus of 1948
1948 Palestinian exodus
The 1948 Palestinian exodus , also known as the Nakba , occurred when approximately 711,000 to 725,000 Palestinian Arabs left, fled or were expelled from their homes, during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and the Civil War that preceded it. The exact number of refugees is a matter of dispute...
.
Yoav Gelber
Yoav Gelber
Yoav Gelber is a professor of history at the University of Haifa, and was formerly a visiting professor at The University of Texas at Austin....
lists Saliha alongside Deir Yassin
Deir Yassin
Deir Yassin was a Palestinian Arab village of around 600 people near Jerusalem. It had declared its neutrality during the 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine between Arabs and Jews...
, Abu Shusha
Abu Shusha
Abu Shusha was an Arab village in Palestine, 8 km southeast of Ramle which was depopulated in 1948.Abu Shusha was located on the slope of Tel Jazar, which is commonly identified with the ancient city of Gezer....
, Sufsuf
Safsaf
Safsaf was a Palestinian village located 9 kilometres northwest of Safed, present day Israel. Its villagers fled to Lebanon after the Safsaf massacre in October 1948, during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.-History:The village was called Safsofa in Roman times...
, and Lydda
Lod
Lod is a city located on the Sharon Plain southeast of Tel Aviv in the Center District of Israel. At the end of 2010, it had a population of 70,000, roughly 75 percent Jewish and 25 percent Arab.The name is derived from the Biblical city of Lod...
as forming part of the "Palestinian pantheon of massacres ... villages where Palestinians claimed that atrocities had taken place".
Today
Salman Abu-SittaSalman Abu-Sitta
Salman H. Abu Sitta is a Palestinian researcher and writes about Palestinian refugees and the Palestinian right of return.-Biography:Abu-Sitta was born in Beersheba Salman H. Abu Sitta (Arabic سلمان ابو ستة)(born 1938) is a Palestinian researcher and writes about Palestinian refugees and the...
, author of the Atlas of Palestine, estimated that the number of Palestinian refugee
Palestinian refugee
Palestinian refugees or Palestine refugees are the people and their descendants, predominantly Palestinian Arabic-speakers, who fled or were expelled from their homes during and after the 1948 Palestine War, within that part of the British Mandate of Palestine, that after that war became the...
s from Saliha in 1998 was 7,622 people.
Saliha's refugees escaped to Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
, where they were granted Lebanese citizenship in 1994. They were granted citizenship because they were officially recognized as Lebanese citizens before the creation of the state of Israel.
Of what remains of Saliha's built structures today, 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...
writes that, "The only remaining landmark is a long building (which may have been a school) with many high windows. The site is a flat, mostly cultivated area. The bulk of the surrounding land is planted by Israeli farmers with apple trees."
The Israeli Jewish localities of Yir'on and Avivim
Avivim
Avivim , is an Israeli moshav in the far north of Israel, in the Upper Galilee. It is located less than one kilometre from the Lebanese border, and on the land of the depopulated Shiite village of Salha ....
are located on the former lands of Saliha.
See also
- Seven Lebanese VillagesSeven Lebanese VillagesThe Seven Lebanese Villages refers to the seven Lebanese villages of Tarbikha, Saliha, Malkiyeh, Nabi Yusha, Qadas, Hunin, and Abil al-Qamh located in what is today Northern Israel...
- List of Arab towns and villages depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
- Killings and massacres during the 1948 Palestine War
- Metawali
- Franco-British boundary agreement (1920)Franco-British Boundary Agreement (1920)The Franco-British Boundary Agreement of 1920, properly called the Franco-British Convention on Certain Points Connected with the Mandates for Syria and the Lebanon, Palestine and Mesopotamia, was an agreement signed between the British and French governments in Paris, on 23 December 1920...
External links
- Welcome to Saliha
- Saliha, 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...
- Saliha, Dr. Khalil Rizk.